Along the Sea Floor
by st.jimmy.987
Summary: The Little Mermaid' like you've never seen it before! Nate is the "Prince of the Sea" who has fallen in love with the "Prince of the Land", Mello. With encouragement from Misa, he goes to the magic-wielder of the sea, Kira, so that he can be with Mello. ***process of being edited***
1. Prolouge: Children of Wammy

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

There was a general fluttering about behind the curtain as everyone got ready for the show. Costumes ad props were handled between the stage hands and the performers, who bustled about as they rushed to get everything ready. Orders were shouted, drinks and objects passed around between performers and stage hands alike; amid the confusion, one lone figure slipped away. Nobody noticed.

XXXX

On a ship, a tall blonde eagerly jumped on the rail and leaned over it, relishing in the wind blowing strands of blonde hair all over the place. The soothing rock of the boat was more pronounced, but his grip on the rail was tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Mello..." came from behind him, and he tilted his head to the side and regarded the red-head he considered his best friend.

"Yea, Matt?" The red-head also grabbed the rail, but instead of pulling himself up, he merely leaned against it and glanced at his best friend.

"You enjoying the breeze or something?" Matt asked. Mello grinned at him. Matt grinned back, but sighed through his nose and glanced back over the water. He hated when Roger decided to send him to talk to Mello. "Y'know, people are expecting you-"

"Don't you start, too, Matt." Mello groaned, jumping off the rail onto the deck and crossing his arms. He turned his back to the moving water and leaned against the rail, glaring at the floor with contempt. "I hate all that damn talk. It's horrid."

"I'm sorry!" Matt cried playfully, though the words were heartfelt. He threw his arm around Mello's shoulder and leaned against the blonde boy, laughter in his green eyes. "Roger put me up to it, 'k? You know I don't give a damn."

"All right, I know." Mello pushed a hand through his hair as the crewmen on the boat yelled at each other.

"We're good?"

"Yes, sir, we're good!" The captain turned to Mello from his place at the helm, forcing the blonde to lean away from his best friend in order to hear what the captain had to say.

"We're going good on the travels today, sir."

"Are we really?" Mello called up excitedly, blue eyes shining. The blonde boy loved to be on the water, stealing aboard any ship he could get on. Matt followed along as usual, and the two boys had snuck onto a shop that would dock nearby the village where they lived. A couple sailors laughed at his excitement.

"That's right." One called up. He stuck his head up from below deck, the top of the mop coming up behind him. "The King must be in a good mood today." Matt hit his forehead with his palm, his breath coming out shortly in annoyance.

"Oh, for the love of-not _that_ nonsense again!" He snapped irritably, much to Mello's amusement.

"It's true!" The sailor yelled back. Matt shot back a response, though Mello lost interest and turned back to the rail again. The water was as still as it could be, but Mello could easily see the fish that swam alongside the boat. As Matt and the sailor argued, Mello leaned over the rail again, straining his eyes to see as far down into the churning water below as he could.

XXXX

A small boy darted around in small circles nervously until the majority of the crowd noticed him and quieted down. As they did so, he stopped moving and spoke loud so that his voice echoed.

"Welcome, all, to our annual music show!" He bowed slightly when the audience cheered, and flipped a couple times for amusement. In the audience, a couple of kids let out squeals of delight. "As you all know, our annual music show is for the delight of all. So, let's begin!" He flipped again, once, and pointed towards an old entrance. "Our great king, King Wammy!" Everyone cheered as their king made his way to his throne at the top of the crowd. Wammy, though old, smiled gracefully at everyone. His movements were fluid and strong, though his face was kind and warm. He was a much beloved king, with an affection that touched all in his kingdom. "And today's composer, Anthony Carter!" More cheers as the small composer bowed from his spot by the King. The cheers slowly trailed off as Carter spoke.

"Your Highness." He said. Wammy smiled fondly at him, placing his finger gently on Anthony's head.

"I expect great things today, Carter." He said with an easy humor. "You are one of the best. That is why we hired you, you know."

"Of course." Carter replied gracefully with another bow. "And your younger ones have such great talents." Wammy laughed as Carter went down to the stage. Everyone watched with bated breath as the composer went to take his place, though no one heard him as he muttered darkly under his breath. "Now, if only they would show up for rehearsal. Then they'd be even better." He took a deep breath in front of the stand and the music started. A group of two, one after the other, came onstage. They ranged in age, though no one was quite sure of their actual age, and though most of them had dark hair, one blonde stuck out in the group. At the moment, they were reserved, though anyone could see how much one girl struggled to stay that way. When all six of them were grouped properly, the upbeat music started and they sang their parts together with ease.

"We are the children of Wammy." The first three started.

"Great 'father' who found us and taught us well." The other three added. The first shot into the air, drawing attention to himself with a practiced ease.

"Lawliet." A boy with messy black hair and matching black eyes stared unblinkingly at the crowd before spinning up gracefully for his 'sister', the others slowly following his example as they were named.

"Takada." A pretty girl with short, neat hair and a soft smile darted upwards after him.

"Gevanni." He gave a warm smile as he followed his 'sister'.

"Naomi." She spun around, her long black hair flowing behind her, before she flipped easily after her 'brother' and 'sister'.

"Mikami." He gave a small smile before allowing himself to float upwards.

"Misa." The blonde girl gave a simple spin and a sly smile before flipping in a circle, though she didn't swim up to join the rest of her family. Instead, her 'brothers' and 'sisters' drifted down to join her.

"And then there is the youngest in his musical debut." They chorused, gathering in a circle around the stage to present him better. "Our seventh little 'brother', we're presenting him to you. To sing a song Carter wrote, his voice is like a bell." The curtain in front of where he was began to rise and they moved to the side, three on each, to show him off. "He's our 'brother', Natha- - -" They froze. Then the girls gasped, clapping a hand over their mouths in surprise as they looked at each other, wide-eyed. Lawliet stared unblinkingly at the space. Mikami blinked, then sighed, shaking his head and gracefully rubbing his temple. Gevanni placed his face in his hands and groaned. Carter squeaked in shock from where he was, frozen in place.

"It's empty." Lawliet pointed out to the silent audience, his thumb in his mouth as he thought.

"Nathaniel!" Wammy sighed angrily, rubbing his temples as well.

XXXX

A pale boy with silvery white hair swam up to a sunken ship, excitement shining in his eyes. A beautiful pale red angel fish followed him nervously, dark eyes glancing from side to side.

"Are we supposed to be here, Nate?" She asked quietly, shaking. He shrugged uncaringly, though his eyes never left the ship.

"I dunno. I don't think so, Quarter." The fish whined quietly and swam a bit faster, so that she was pressed against her friend's side. Nathaniel glanced down at her, a soft smile gracing his features. "Why? Does it matter?"

"I don't wanna get in trouble!" She squeaked. Nate laughed, silently so that his friend would not get _too_ mad at him. They floated outside the sunken ship, peering in. Nathaniel's dark eyes examined the inside of the ship until something caught his eye.

"Then stay out here and watch for sharks, 'k?" He asked after a moment, slipping through a nearby broken window easily.

"All right." She said softly, sighing. As Nathaniel's tail disappeared, Quarter Queen spun in small circles, content to amuse herself while she waited for Nathaniel. "Sharks, sharks...sharks..." Suddenly, what Nate said broke through and she followed him quickly. "SHARKS? Nate, wait up!" From inside, Nathaniel laughed again, turning just in time to catch the angel fish as she barreled through the window and into his pale chest.

"Calm down, Quarter Queen." He said softly, placing his hands on her face. She glared darkly up at him, making Nathaniel bite his lip to hold down his amusement; Quarter Queen had no foreboding aura. "All right, all right. Come on, then." With that, he let her go, starting to dig through the room in an effort to find what had caught his eye. Quarter rolled her eyes, but looked around as her friend did.

They worked in silence until a shiny object caught her attention.

"Nate, look at this!" She called out, nudging it slightly with her nose to free it a bit more. Nathaniel was at her side in an instant, having rushed over at her call. By this point, he had done such a thing so often, she didn't jump anymore. "What is it?" She asked him, looking up at him. Nathaniel picked it up gingerly in his first two fingers, like Lawliet did when he held things, and looked it over slowly.

"I don't know." He admitted reluctantly, placing it gently in a bag that hung on his shoulder. Quarter Queen beamed at the knowledge that she had provided something interesting for her friend, and they continued the search with renewed vigor. Unfortunately, Nate could only find two or three other things of interest, placing each object gently in his bag and heaving a quiet sigh.

"Are we leaving?" Quarter Queen asked hopefully as Nate began to swim to the exit. She followed after him easily, more than willing to abandon the creepy ship.

"Yes." Nate said, clearly disappointed at the lack of anything new on the ship. "There are not many things of great interest here." She followed him as he sighed, swimming upwards towards the sky. "What a waste."

"Are we gonna visit Beyond, now?" She asked, excited to see the blue skies and their friend. She spun in circles as they ascended, and Nathaniel chuckled in amusement at the hopeful look in her eyes.

"Do you have a crush on him, Quarter?" Nate asked, amusement sparkling in his dark eyes. Quarter turned redder than usual, her face looking strangely darker than the rest of her body.

"Don't be ridiculous, Nate!" She cried as they broke through the surface. The sun was warm, though they were saved from too much heat by the cool ocean breeze that blew over the water. Both took deep breaths, marveling in the clear air that didn't exist under the water.

"Be ridiculous about what?" Came a voice, and they turned to find a black crow tilting his head to the side as red eyes looked them over. He was the only crow that lived by the water- - -at the very least, the only crow that Nathaniel and Quarter Queen ever saw. "Hello, Nate, Quarter Queen."

"Afternoon, Beyond." Nate said easily, pulling his bag out of the water and onto the rocks where they usually had their meetings before pulling himself up as well. He sat on the rock, though he left his tail in the water. Quarter Queen, unable to go out of the water herself, flipped a couple of times before ducking under the water. She came up just as Beyond started talking again.

"I take it you have new things for me?" Beyond asked, hopping down to inspect the bag more thoroughly. He was the only one that they could go to for information about they things they found, as Beyond knew more about the human world than anyone else they knew. Nathaniel smiled.

"Of course!" He exclaimed, pulling everything out of his bag and onto the rock. Beyond made a sound of disappointment, and Nathaniel shot him a quick glare. "There was not much to find, unfortunately." He picked up the two objects he didn't know and presented them to Beyond.

"Oh, oh, this is nice." Beyond commented dryly. He leaned down and examined one of the objects before picking it up gingerly, bringing it closer to his eyes.

"What is it?" Nathaniel asked, eyes lighting up since Beyond seemed to know what it was. Beyond shook his head, amused, before looking it over again.

"You put it in your hair. Like so." He said, placing it gently in Nathaniel's white locks. The silver hair piece lined with dark onyx stones and sparkling blue diamonds shimmered in Nate's hair. "It's called a 'hair clip', kiddo. Usually used by women who want to keep their hair out of their faces." Nathaniel made a slight face, but touched the clip reverently. It was heavy in his hair and felt out of place, but he left it alone in favor of talking to Beyond.

"What about this?" Nathaniel asked, handing the other object to Beyond. Beyond took it as gently as he took the clip, tracing over its design with a feather. "It's a 'cup', right? It's the first one I've ever found that wasn't broken or shattered."

"That's right." Beyond said, looking over the cup easily. It was a wooden cup, nothing too special, but nothing that Nathaniel had ever found before. Beyond studied it, remembering something that he had seen while flying around. "People tend to drink out of them. They can use them to play music, too, somehow. If I could remember how- - -"

"Oh, my god." Nathaniel sat up straighter, his eyes wide, his tail flipping water up and showering an equally shocked Quarter Queen. Beyond looked at him, annoyed- - -he hated being interrupted, dammit!

"What is it?" He snapped irritably

"Carter's music show! That was today- - -crap, I missed it!" Nathaniel grabbed the cup from Beyond, pulled the clip out of his hair, and shoved them into his bag. "I'm sorry, Beyond, I'll visit later!" He called, diving off the rock and into the cold water. Quarter waved quickly before following him down.

"Yea, yea." Beyond waved them off, though they were already gone, then sat against the rock to enjoy the sun in peace.

* * *

Hello! So I've decided that, to get over whatever writer's block I seem to have, I will re-write and edit some of my stories. This one is my first. XD read, enjoy, and don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 1: Part of Your World

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Mello stood by the window, unable to move from his spot as the sun dried him off. He and Matt had returned to the castle a few days ago, and had enjoyed freedom for a short while until the blonde boy had a bright idea to go swimming. He convinced Matt to join him, and both boys had swam out as far as they could; unfortunately, Mello had gotten caught in a current and Matt had gone to help him. As a result, they had gone under the water and were unable to resurface until they'd gotten tangled in the fishing net of a nearby ship. Both boys had been in shock and, with adrenaline running through their bodies, they had burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Roger, however, had not found it as amusing as the two boys. As soon as they had entered the castle, the older man had dragged them to a room and placed them in their own patch of sunlight to dry off fully. He had been lecturing them ever since, and it was starting to wear on the blonde's nerves. Mello rolled his eyes and placed his hand on his face, leaning his elbow on the window to support his head as Roger continued to rant on and on and on and on and on...

"Maybe it wasn't the _best_ idea to swim waaaaaaay past the 'point of no return'," Matt hissed at him. Mello rolled his eyes again.

"Ya think, moron?" He snapped. "It's not even like I did it on purpose, either, you know. I would very much like to not drown, thank you."

"Mihael Kheel, Mail Jeevas, are you even listening to me?" Roger bit out tiredly.

"Now I am." Mello muttered, annoyed, closing his eyes and sighing. Roger's eye twitched slightly and he glowered at Mello's silent dismissal. "We're all right, Roger. Obviously." He added under his breath, opening his eyes and glaring out the window. The sea was so close, Mello mused as his clear blue eyes traced over the water, so close...Roger's eyes widened.

"Of all things- - -you certainly were not this reckless when you were younger, Mello!"

"I didn't meet Matt until I was fifteen, duh." Mello shrugged, ignoring Matt's hiss.

"Don't you dare blame this on me!" The red head crossed his arms, glaring while Mello stuck out his tongue and laughed.

"And now you're almost eighteen!" Roger sighed, placing a hand over his eyes. "Honestly, you need to grow up and act your age." Mello turned back to Roger, his eyes narrowed sharply, and Roger met Mello's eyes with an even glare of his own. "At all times, not just when you feel like it. Mello, you need to get your head out of the clouds- - -"

XXXX

"- - -and back into the water, where it belongs!" Nathaniel sighed and looked down at the crab that was Carter. The pale crustacean was glaring up at him disapprovingly, and the pale boy felt his body sink down in the water just that much more. His stomach echoed the sinking, and Nathaniel felt much worse. He hated letting down Carter, and he hated disappointing Wammy. And, with a single slip on his part, Nathaniel had managed to do both in one evening. Not even the criticism that came from Lawliet the night of the performance had made him feel this horribly.

"I'm sorry, Wammy, Carter." He sighed again, his hand gripping the strap of his shoulder bag tightly. "I had forgotten."

"You are a genius, child!" Carter said, crossing his claws irritably. Nathaniel ducked his head at the statement, knowing it wasn't a compliment. Despite the rebuke, he couldn't help the pride that filled him at the acknowledgement of his intelligence. "You shouldn't forget so easily."

"He's right, Nathaniel." Wammy said. His fingers traced over his trident carefully as he examined his youngest child. He'd known of Nathaniel's trips to the surface; it was the only thing that seemed to capture the youngest boy's attention. He had fallen in love with the blue sky and the human world when Misa had taken him for his initiation birthday a few years back; it was like it had woken the boy up and opened him a little more than before, though Nathaniel seemed to control his interest. However, in recent times it seemed to have become something of a distraction. Nathaniel was consistently late and now, forgetting events entirely. "It was something that had been planned for months. It should not have been so easy to forget."

"I understand." Nathaniel replied softly. He bowed and turned to leave, eager to get away from the situation. There were still things he had to do before retiring for the night; Wammy had caught him just as he was trying to sneak out of the palace.

"I'm not done with you yet, Nathaniel." Nate stopped and half-turned towards Wammy and Carter again, curious. Wammy only kept them long enough to say his piece, and Nathaniel was sure there was nothing more the king had to say. He had gotten off easy, that much he knew considering it had taken a couple of days to be summoned, and he wasn't willing to risk staying if he had no reason to. "There are to be no more trips to the surface."

"What?" Nathaniel cried out, eyes wide. He turned fully at that, shock numbing his entire body. He hadn't expected the old king to take away his freedom; it was a colder shock than the pale boy would like to admit. Wammy shook his head regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Nathaniel." The old man sighed. "You've left me- - -"

XXXX

"- - -with no choice!" Roger snapped. Mello gaped at him, blinking in shock.

"What? But... Matt... What about my birthday?" Mello managed to get out. Matt stood beside him, though the red head was silenced by the shock.

"Matt will be allowed to attend tomorrow, of course." Roger amended slowly. "Only for the day. But when you can prove that you've matured a bit more, then you may see him again." Mello scowled and crossed his arms.

"You can't seriously be considering this!" Mello gestured to Matt. Matt gestured wildly, his mouth moving though he didn't seem to be able to say anything. "Back me up, dammit!" He snapped at the red head.

"I'm sorry, Mello, but my decision is final." Roger took Matt's arm gently in his own.

"You can't do this!" Mello lunged for Matt's free arm, but was stopped by Roger's hand on his chest.

"I've already informed the castle staff." He said. "This goes into effect immediately." Mello's hands tightened into fists.

"This is ridculous." Mello snarled angrily as Roger left, dragging Matt with him. "Totally- - -"

XXXX

"- - -unnecessary." Nathaniel fumed. He was with Quarter Queen, in a secret cave that was his home away from home. At the moment, his arms were crossed as he glared at the wall covered with otherwordly objects. Quarter sighed sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, Nate." She said quietly. Nathaniel shook his head and buried his head in his hands.

"Now what?" He muttered, almost tearfully.

"Well, you got a lot of stuff here." Quarter tried, glancing around the cave that held Nathaniel's collection. Nathaniel followed her gaze slowly.

"Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the kid, the kid who has everything?" He gestured around the cave. "Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold? Lookin' around here you'd think, sure, he's got everything." Nathaniel shrugged and started grabbing things off the shelves he had convinced Gevanni to make for him in the cave walls, showing them to Quarter Queen.

"I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I got twenty." He offered the box to Quarter, who smiled and shook her head. Nathaniel sighed and sank down to the floor in a sitting position. "But who cares? No big deal. I want more." He looked up and sighed heavily. The sunlight trickled in from above, the rays distorted by the water. His gaze glazed over ad he reached up towards the rays.

"I wanna be where the people are. I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'. Walkin' around on those- - -whad'ya call 'em?" Nathaniel sighed in frustration, then smiled when Quarter flipped around. She mimicked movement trying to force his smile to meet his dark eyes, though it didn't work. "Oh, feet." He sighed again. "Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far. Legs are required for jumpin', dancin'. Strollin' along down a- - -" He stopped again, frowning. "What's that word again? Street." He flipped up as he continued, Quarter staying where she was and smiling up at him. "Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun, wanderin' free, wish I could be part of that world." Nathaniel floated down to Quarter, smiling wistfully above them. She followed his gaze worriedly, though Nathaniel didn't seem to notice her concern.

"What would I give if I could live outta these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?" He shrugged, pushing himself up to one of his shelves, picking up a book and leafing through it quickly. "Betcha on land, they understand. Bet they don't reprimand their children. Bright, young men." He laughed softly. "Sick of swimmin', ready to stand." He swam up again, touching the spines of the books he managed to collect as he went. "And ready to know what the people know. Ask 'em my questions, and get some answers. What's a fire and why does it, what's the word?" He looked frustrated slightly. "Burn?" Nathaniel looked up longingly and sighed.

"When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore above?" Nathaniel closed his eyes and floated down next to Quarter, who mirrored his forlorn expression. "Out of the sea, wish I could be part of that world." Nathaniel sighed again.

"WHAT IS THIS?" They both jumped, Quarter Queen flying up into the shelves, then turned with wide eyes to face an expectant Carter scowling at them.

XXXX

Mello scowled angrily, staring out over the water in annoyance. The third noble to talk to him had long since gone, but his words still rang in his head. Marriage...that one word kept coming up more and more the older he got. His scowl deepened at the thought, but it disappeared when he saw Matt.

"DUDE, YOU'RE EIGHTEEN!" The red-head yelled, throwing an arm around Mello's neck. Mello winced at the volume, which Matt seemed to notice. "How cool!"

"What have you been drinking, Matt?" Mello asked, laughing, pushing Matt off him. Matt bit his lip, seeming to think a little too hard about his answer.

"Water?" He offered tenatively. Mello raised an eyebrow, and Matt shrunk back into himself.

"Water." The blonde repeated skeptically. The red head nodded quickly, and Mello snorted. Matt was unsteady on the boat, more so than usual, and Mello had a feeling that it had to do with the water that Matt drank. "And what, exactly, was in the water?" Matt shrugged.

"Weeeell, there may have been a little," he made a small space with his fingers, "tiny bit of sake mixed in there." Mello shook his head.

"Go sit down, ya idiot." Mello laughed. "I don't- - -"

XXXX

"- - -believe you!" Carter scowled, placing a claw over his eyes. Nathaniel, biting his lip, looked up. A shadow crossed over his cave, which caught his interest. Granted, just about anything would've caught Nathaniel's interest, because Carter had been lecturing him for the past twenty minutes, and showed no signs of stopping. "Look, Nathaniel - -"

"I am." Nathaniel interrupted breathlessly, his dark eyes beginning to glow with excitement. Carter paused, confused. Nathaniel didn't notice, a curious smile lighting on his face. "Something's going on up there." Without thinking, he moved to leave.

"What?" Carter followed Nathaniel's line of vision. His own eyes widened as he realized where Nathaniel planned to go. "No, no no, stay here. I'm not- - -" Carter stopped when he realized that Nathaniel ignored the crab and left the cave. Sighing in annoyance, Carter went to the entrance as Nathaniel swam as fast as he could towards the surface, excitement in his face.


	3. Chapter 2: First Sight

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

The sudden explosion shocked Nathaniel, who had jumped into the water seemingly just in time. Quarter Queen and Carter had been swimming up to him, but the pale merboy had his eyes trained to the dark underbelly of the ship, heart racing as he though of his brush with humans. It was because he had been watching that he saw the first burst of light, followed by the resulting fire. Fear gripped Nathaniel's heart, and he had swam to help; but he moved too slowly, and the following bursts of light had resulted in hard currents and dangerous waves.

Soon after, he was dodging to avoid being hit with barrels and other, smaller boats. He swam down, though the dangerous currents had started deep under the water as well. Nathaniel was rolling with the waves, safe under the sea, when he saw a dark object plummeting towards the water. Swimming up with some difficulty, he was surprised when he recognized the blonde from the ship.

"Nathaniel! Boy, you've got to get out of here!" Carter yelled. Nathaniel blinked down at him in surprise. He had known the crab had been trying to get his attention, but he had been further away, with Quarter Queen. Where was the angelfish? When had Carter gotten there?

"I have to help him." Nathaniel said defiantly, swimming further up and wrapping an arm around a slowly sinking Mello. Carter's jaw dropped as he watched Nathaniel fight to break to the surface once again.

"Help...him...?" He muttered in disbelief. When what Nathaniel said hit him, he paled. He turned to stop him, but the pale merboy had broken through the surface with difficulty and was struggling to head to shore. "Nathaniel! NO! Nathaniel!" He watched as Nathaniel was forced under again and again, though his grip on the blonde never lessened. Carter rushed after him as Nathaniel finally managed to break through the waves a bit further from the ship. Following him to the surface, he heard the blonde gasp for air.

"Hello?" Nathaniel said gently, shaking him softly. Mello's head fell to the side as he groaned, though he didn't wake. Nathaniel shook his head, sighing lightly.

"Nate, let's go! Please!" Carter pleaded, inwardly crying when he noted the determination in Nathaniel's eyes.

"We have to get him to shore." Carter shut his eyes.

"Just let him drown!" He snapped. "Worry about yourself, instead of some human child!"

Nathaniel ignored him and swam forward, careful to keep the blonde's head above the water. After a good few hours of swimming, they managed to get to shore. As he dragged the blonde to rest on the sand, he suddenly coughed harshly. Carter and Nathaniel froze, though all that happened was water falling in waves from the boy's mouth. Worried, Nathaniel picked him up as the blonde continued vomiting water, holding him so that it hit the sand. He stopped almost as suddenly as he started, though he still didn't open his eyes. Nathaniel sighed in relief, noticing the cloud's as well as Carter's disappearance, and promptly dropped both the still-unconscious blonde and himself on the sand, exhausted. Closing his eyes, Nate took a deep breath as the sun shined down. His body ached in ways it never had before, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"Some party, huh, kiddo?" Nathaniel looked up with silver-grey eyes at the black bird that was Beyond Birthday. Beyond tilted his head to the side and Nate smiled tiredly up at him.

"Yea, it was interesting." He glanced at Mello and frowned. He was completely unsure of how the human body worked, and wasn't sure if the blonde's stillness was good or not. "Is he dead? That wouldn't be good, considering all the trouble with Carter I'm about to be in. Not to mention Wammy."

"Lemme check." Beyond hopped around, finally settling on Mello's chest. He ruffled his feathers and then sat firmly, eyes furrowed in concentration. "Ah-ha!" He exclaimed. Nathaniel looked at him curiously. Beyond tilted his head to the side. "He breathes." Carter and Quarter Queen popped up as Nathaniel reached over and began twirling blonde hair.

"Nathaniel!" Carter exclaimed. Nathaniel pointedly ignored him, turning his back on the crab. Beyond casually flew over and pushed Carter back underwater, winking at Quarter's wide eyes.

"What would I give to live where you are?" He started softly, silvery eyes softening. "What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you, smiling at me?" Nathaniel closed his eyes and sighed. "Where would we walk? Where would we run, if we could stay all day in the sun?" He opened them to look at Mello again. His fingers left the blonde hair and trailed slowly down the side of Mello's face. "Just you and me, and I could be part of your world." Mello groaned, his eyes fluttering lightly. He opened them slightly.

"Who...?" He managed to open and shut them a few times, wincing at the sunlight streaming down on him. Panicked, Nathaniel scrambled away and dove under the water, darting past Carter, Quarter, and Beyond to much deeper water. Panic raced through his body, his heart pounding in his head. His tail throbbed where it had been pulled too roughly against rock and sand. Nathaniel popped back up through the water, far enough to see the blonde but not be seen by anyone on shore.

"MELLO!" Nathaniel watched the blonde sit up, hand on his head, as the red headed Matt half ran towards Mello.

He was also close enough to hear them.

"Who was that?" Mello muttered, looking at the sparkling water. His hand left his head slowly, his brow furrowed as he studied the calm waters. A sudden weight in the form of a red-head suddenly landed on him, which brought him out of his thoughts. "Ah, Matt!" Nathaniel smiled when Matt helped him up, and started dragging him in the direction of wherever it was they lived.

"I don't know when, I don't know how," He started, placing his face in his hands as he watched Matt drag Mello down the beach, "but I know something's starting right now. Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be part of your world."

"Nate! Let's go now!" Quarter Queen nudged her nose against his side, and Nathaniel looked down at her. She swam in a small circle, gesturing for him to follow her to much deeper waters. Smiling, Nathaniel dove under the water after Carter and Quarter Queen just as Mello looked to the place where he had been.

XXXX

"I'm telling you, someone saved me!" Mello snapped again at the dinner table. Matt had been practically glued to his side, not willing to let the blonde away from him since he'd found Mello barely conscious on the beach.

"You were the only one there, Mello." Roger said calmly in the face of the blonde's anger. He was glad to have Mello back, he truly was; the old man had spent the better part of the night up with the worry and panic that Mello had drowned in the rough seas, and relief was too weak a word for what he felt when Matt had come in with Mello at his side. All the same, he could do without the blonde's fury. "Matt told me so himself. If someone did indeed save you, why wouldn't they stay for a reward of some sort?"

"I don't know!" Mello groaned in frustration, burying his head in his hands. His frustration was so great, he hasn't touched a bite of his food; his plate sat uneaten in front of him as he racked his mind to put a face to his savior. Or at least proof that the person existed. "But someone was there, I swear it!"

"You were alone, Mello." Mello let out a growl of frustration, and Roger decided enough was enough. With a practiced ease, he stood and took Mello by the arm. despite his annoyance, Mello seemed to be in no mood to fight; he came calmly, making the older man's job that much easier. Roger led Mello to his room, opening the door with one hand easily through years of practice.

"He really was there." Mello muttered petulantly. Roger let out a snort as he released the blonde.

"It's a 'he', now, is it?" Mello glared fiercely. "Well, where is he then?" Roger smiled good-naturedly as he left the room. "Did this savior of yours manage to disappear into the ocean?" Mello scowled, dropping onto the bed in his room.

"Why doesn't anyone believe me?" He yelled, hands in fists over his eyes. He pressed his hands into his eyes until colorful sparks lit up behind the closed lids; it reminded him of the fireworks and the mysterious savior who saved him.

"I believe you, Mels." Mello had forgotten Matt had followed him to his room, and he turned to face the red head quickly.

"You do?" Matt nodded, emerald eyes wide and earnest. He move forward, bringing himself to a seat on the bed beside Mello. Glancing around as if he would be overheard, Matt leaned down closer to Mello.

"On the ship, I saw something." He whispered quietly. Mello frowned and pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking at him.

"What?" He whispered back. "Like, a stowaway?" Matt shrugged.

"Something like that, I guess." He smiled. "It was this kid or something. Black eyes, white hair."

"It was no kid if there was white hair, moron." Mello snapped, annoyed. He dropped back down to the bed and closed his eyes.

"No, I swear!" Matt said loudly, forgetting to whisper in his haste. "He had pale skin, and he had black eyes, and his hair was about as white as a sheet of paper!"

"Sounds like Near." Mello laughed. It was Matt's turn to scowl, and he hit Mello on the shoulder for not taking him seriously. Mello twisted away, and Matt crossed his arms. "There's no way that _Near_, of all people, would save me."

"It wasn't another one of your damn merpeople myths, Mello." Matt said easily, with a bit of distase. "This kid was **_real_**."

XXXX

"Nate, Misa-Misa won't ask again." The youngest blonde pouted. Her tail moved back and forth slowly in annoyance at being ignored, her arms crossed firmly across her chest. "Come out now!"

"Leave him be, Misa." Takada scolded lightly from her place, brushing her short hair back. Misa's eyes shot to Takada, and their eyes met in the mirror. "If Nathaniel wants to stay in his room all day, let him."

"But he promised to take Misa-Misa to see something cool!" Misa wailed.

"He did." Lawliet said, chewing his thumb. His dark eyes roamed from his calm sister to his distraught sister before landing on the closed off area where Nathaniel had been hiding all day. "Nathaniel, come out now, please."

There was no response.

"Let me try." Naomi sighed, placing her hand on Lawliet's arm as he looked ready to storm into Nate's room and pull the boy out of his room. Nobody else seemed able to move, stunned that Lawliet's request had been ignored by their youngest. So far, none had ever had the courage to defy Lawliet. "Nathaniel? Sweetie, come out, please. Nathaniel?"

"Guys, just leave him." Gevanni called from his own room, where he was working on something. Mikami frowned at him, making Gevanni look up and tilt his head to the side curiously. "What?"

"Nathaniel can't just stay in his room all day." He scolded lightly. "Nor can you. You guys will get nothing done today."

"What do we have to do today?" Gevanni challenged. Mikami opened his mouth to snap, but Gevanni held up the papers he was working on. "Besides, I'm getting things done now. Perhaps it will be _you_ that gets nothing done today, Mikami." Mikami scowled darkly, darting towards Gevanni's room in anger. Gevanni pushed himself off of his bed, ready to fight if he had to.

"Stop!" Naomi cried, intercepting Mikami just as he reached the entrance to Gevanni's room and placing herself between the two boys. Gevanni glared, but didn't move from his room. Mikami let out a snarl and tried to get around her. Naomi resisted, but Mikami swung his arm out and hit her across the face. With a cry, she let go; Mikami darted forward again only to be yanked back by his hair.

"What is the matter with you?" Takada thundered at him. Mikami moved to get away from her, but Misa came forward as well and grabbed his arm. Naomi recovered and grabbed his other arm. Snickering, Gevanni began baiting Mikami, which made the other even more enraged. As they continued to fight, Lawliet closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Enough!" He roared loudly, startling them into silence when they started getting too loud. Everyone froze and turned slowly to face the enraged oldest. Lawliet sniffed disdainfully at the sight of Mikami being restrained by three mermaids. "You will cease this ridiculous fighting at once. It is most unbecoming of us as Wammy's children." Slowly, Gevanni sank down to his bed. Mikami pulled himself away from his sisters, glancing almost apologetically at Naomi as he did so. Takada moved back to her vanity, Misa following her slowly. Lawliet watched them all until he was sure they would not fight again. Once satisfied, he turned to deal their missing brother. "Nathaniel, you will open this door and come out immediatly." There was silence. "Nathaniel!" Nathaniel came out, humming tunelessly, a blank look on his face and a far away look in his eye.

"Nate? Misa-Misa's ready to- - -" Nathaniel ignored his sister and she spun around in confusion as he passed her. Curious, Takada watched him in her mirror as he passed by. "Nate?" Wammy, coming in to check on them, managed to stop Nathaniel's dazed swim.

"Oh. Morning, Wammy." Nathaniel went around him, and Wammy turned to watch him leave, his siblings poking their heads out to do the same.

"What's- - -"

"Nate's in love." Lawliet stated blankly, interrupting Wammy. Wammy turned to him, confusion on his face at the thought.

"How SWEET!" Misa squealed, Naomi echoing her. Takada rolled her eyes but smiled softly anyway; she moved away and returned to her vanity again, continuing with her hair.

"That's odd." Mikami noted dryly. "What a strange state for Nathaniel to be in." A few seconds later, he was jumped on by two mermaids, one with a black tail and one with a dark blue tail- - -Misa and Naomi. "OOOOF!"

* * *

All right, chapter 4. XD y'know, a lot of people know what's gonna happen.

that's probably because all my creativity has been used up for **Freedom Is An Image In One's Mind**, so yea... XD reviews!


	4. Chapter 3: Part of Your World Reprise

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Nate was rolling with the waves, safe under the sea, when he saw a dark object plummeting towards the water. Swimming up (with some difficulty), he was surprised when he recognized the blonde from the ship.

"Nate! Boy, you've got to get out of here!" Carter yelled. Nate blinked down at him in surprise. When had Carter gotten there?

"I have to help him." Nate said defiantly, wrapping an arm around Mello as he tried to defy the waves as well as Carter and swim upwards. Carter's jaw dropped.

"Help...him...?" He muttered in disbelief. When what Nate said hit him, he paled. "Nate! NO!" He turned to find the pale boy, only to realize that Nate was ignoring him and swimming towards shore anyway. "Nate!" He watched as Nate finally managed to break through the waves. Following him, he heard the blonde gasp for air.

"Hello?" Nate said gently, shaking him softly. Mello's head fell to the side as he groaned, and Nate shook his head, sighing lightly.

"Nate, let's go! Please!" Carter pleaded, inwardly crying when he noted the determination in Nate's eyes.

"We have to get him to shore." Carter shut his eyes.

"Just let him drown!" He snapped. "Worry about yourself, instead of some human child!"

Nate ignored him, and after a good few hours of swimming, managed to get Mello to shore. He sighed in relief, noticing the cloud's disappearance, and promptly dropped next to the still-unconscious blonde, exhausted. Closing his eyes, Nate took a deep breath as the sun shined down.

"Some party, huh, kiddo?" Nate looked up with silver-grey eyes at the black bird that was Beyond Birthday. Beyond tilted his head to the side and Nate smiled up at him.

"Yea, it was interesting." He glanced at Mello and frowned. "Is he dead? That wouldn't be good, considering all the trouble with Carter I'm about to be in. Not to mention Wammy."

"Lemme check." Beyond hopped around, finally settling on Mello's chest. "Ah-ha!" He exclaimed. Nate looked at him. Beyond tilted his head to the side. "He breathes. Carter and Quarter Queen popped up as Nate began twirling blonde hair.

"Nate!" Carter exclaimed. Nate ignored him. Beyond casually flew over and pushed Carter back underwater, winking at Quarter's wide eyes.

"What would I give to live where you are?" He started softly, silvery eyes softening. "What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you, smiling at me?" Nate closed his eyes and sighed. "Where would we walk? Where would we run, if we could stay all day in the sun?" He opened them to look at Mello again. "Just you and me, and I could be part of your world." Mello groaned, his eyes fluttering lightly. He opened them slightly.

"Who...?" He managed to open and shut them a few times, wincing at the sunlight streaming down on him. Panicked, Nate pulled away and dove under the water, darting past Carter, Quarter, and Beyond to much deeper water. He popped up,far enough to see but not be seen.

"MELLO!" Nate watched the blonde sit up, hand on his head, as Matt ran towards Mello.

He was also close enough to hear them.

"Who was that?" Mello muttered, looking at the sparkling water. A sudden weight in the form of a red-head suddenly landed on him. "Ah, Matt!" Nate smiled when Matt helped him up, and started dragging him in the direction of wherever it was they lived.

"I don't know when, I don't know how," He started, placing his face in his hands as he watched Matt drag Mello down the beach, "but I know something's starting right now. Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be part of your world."

"Nate! Let's go now!" Smiling, Nate dove under the water after Carter and Quarter Queen just as Mello looked to the place where he had been.

LMMN

"I'm telling you, someone saved me!" Mello snapped.

"You were the only one there, Mello." Roger said calmly in the face of the blonde's anger. "Matt told me so himself. If someone did indeed save you, why wouldn't they stay for a reward of some sort?"

"I don't know!" Mello groaned in frustration, burying his head in his hands. "But someone was there, I swear it!"

"You were alone, Mello." Roger smiled good-naturedly as he left the room. "Did this savior of yours manage to disappear into the ocean?" Mello scowled, dropping onto the bed in his room.

"Why doesn't anyone believe me?" He yelled, hands in fists over his eyes.

"I believe you, Mels." Mello had forgotten Matt was in his room, and he turned to face him.

"You do?" Matt nodded.

"On the ship, I saw something." Mello frowned and sat up, looking at him.

"What? Like, a stowaway?" Matt shrugged.

"Something like that, I guess." He smiled. "It was this kid or something. Black eyes, white hair."

"It was no kid if there was white hair, moron." Mello snapped.

"No, I swear!" Matt said. "He had pale skin, and he had black eyes, and his hair was about as white as the sheet of paper!"

"Sounds like Near." Mello laughed. "There's no way that _Near_, of all people, would save me."

"It wasn't another one of your damn merpeople myths, Mello." Matt said easily, with a bit of distase. "This kid was **_real_**."

LMMN

"Nate, Misa-Misa won't ask again." The youngest blonde pouted. "Come out now."

"Leave him be, Misa." Takada scolded lightly from her place, brushing her hair back. "If Nate wants to stay in his room all day, let him."

"But he promised to take Misa-Misa to see something cool!" Misa wailed.

"He did." Lawliet said, chewing his thumb. "Nathaniel, come out now, please."

"Let me try." Naomi sighed, placing her hand on Lawliet's arm as he looked ready to storm into Nate's room and pull the boy out of his room. "Nathaniel? Sweetie, come out, please. Nathaniel?"

"Guys, just leave him." Gevanni called from his own room. Mikami frowned at him, making Gevanni tilt his head to the side curiously. "What?"

"Nathaniel can't just stay in his room all day." He scolded lightly. "Nor can you. You guys will get nothing done today."

"What do we have to do today?" Gevanni challenged. As they began to fight, Lawliet closed his eyes in annoyance.

"Enough!" He said, startling them into silence when they started getting too loud. "Nathaniel, you will open this door and come out immediatly." There was silence. "Nathaniel!" Nate came out, humming tunelessly, a blank look on his face and a far away look in his eye.

"Nate? Misa-Misa's ready to---" Nate ignored his 'sister' and she spun around in confusion as he passed her. "Nate?" Wammy, coming in to check on them, managed to stop Nate's dazed swim.

"Oh. Morning, Wammy." Nate went around him, and Wammy turned to watch him leave, his 'siblings' poking their heads out to do the same.

"What's---"

"Nate's in love." Lawliet stated blankly, interrupting Wammy. Wammy turned to him.

"How SWEET!!!" Misa squealed, Naomi echoing her. Takada rolled her eyes but smiled softly anway, continuing with her hair.

"That's odd." Mikami noted. A few seconds later, he was jumped on by two mermaids, one with a black tail andone with a dark blue tail---Misa and Naomi. "OOOOF!!"

* * *

All right, chapter 4. XD y'know, a lot of people know what's gonna happen.

that's probably because all my creativity has been used up for **Freedom Is An Image In One's Mind**, so yea... XD reviews!


	5. Chapter 4: Under The Sea

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Nathaniel wandered around the ocean, his eyes trained upwards towards the sky. His thoughts of Mello had consumed him from the moment he had left the blonde safely on the beach. He could still feel Mello's warm face, could still feel his soft strands of blonde hair threading through his fingers. Nathaniel stared up, his thoughts in a daze, until he felt something poke his face.

"Out of the sky, Nate!" Nathaniel looked down.

"Ah, Carter." He said blankly. His thoughts had shattered, and he felt a stab of annoyance at the crab for interrupting him. Carter sighed.

"Did you even hear me, Nate?" Nathaniel blinked. He hadn't even been aware Carter had been following him, let alone talking to him. The crab, though knowing what he would say, seemed to expect a response from the merboy.

"No, not really." Nathaniel said carelessly, giggling softly when Carter started taking deep breaths. Carter stopped, staring at him with wide eyes. Nathaniel looked back innocently, blinking his dark eyes to drive the look home. Carter shook his head, and Nathaniel caught the rays of the sun sparkling in the water as he did so.

"Honestly, Nathaniel." He muttered, pulling Nathaniel's face down when he started looking up again. "You need to get your head back under the sea, where it belongs." Nathaniel blinked at him, having randomly come back into the conversation Carter insisted on having with him.

"Back...?" He trailed off. Carter rubbed his temples.

"The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake. You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake." Carter scolded as he pulled Nathaniel's face towards his again, motioning to the sea life around them. The pale boy made a face and tried to pull away, but Carter tightened his grip to keep him from leaving. "Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you! What more is you lookin' for?" The surrounding fish began to get into the sudden song, and Nathaniel looked around with some interest.

"Under the sea, under the sea. Darling it's better down where it's wetter, take it from me." Nathaniel began to get bored, unimpressed by the spontaneity of the song, and Carter grabbed his arm as he tried to leave. "Up on the shore they work all day. Out in the sun they slave away, while we devotin' full time to floatin' under the sea." Nathaniel pulled his hand out of Carter's and pushed him gently into the water to join the fish. Carter didn't notice, starting to immerse himself into his impromptu performance. "Down here all the fish is happy, as off through the waves they roll. The fish on the land ain't happy, they sad 'cause they in their bowl. But fish in the bowl is lucky, they in for a worser fate. One day when the boss get hungry- - -"

"Guess who's gon' be on the plate?" A fish finished. Nathaniel rolled his eyes irritably, placing his head in his hands and glaring lightly. He had been trying to escape, but everything under the water seemed to be trapping him in place.

"Under the sea, under the sea. Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us in fricassee. We what the land folks loves to cook, under the sea we off the hook. We got no troubles, life is the bubbles under the sea." Nathaniel rubbed his face as he watched the whole thing unfurl before him. His gaze moved upwards again, the pale boy longing to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. "Under the sea. Since life is sweet here, we got the beat here naturally. Even the sturgeon an' the ray, they get the urge 'n' start to play. We got the spirit, you got to hear it under the sea." Nathaniel blinked owlishly at a group of fish that blocked his gaze before pulling himself away from the group and going to sit on a rock, head in his hands. A whole group started a demonstration, almost a line, and Nathaniel watched them, amused.

"The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp, the plaice play the bass, and they soundin' sharp." Each made Nathaniel's eyebrow raise and he groaned inwardly. Of course Carter would find a way to make everything rhyme. It was almost making Nathaniel red. "The bass play the brass, the chub play the tub, the fluke is the duke of soul."

"Yeah." The fish made Nathaniel take a deep breath and close his eyes.

"The ray he can play, the lings on the strings, the trout rockin' out, the blackfish she sings, the smelt and the sprat they know where it's at, an' oh that blowfish blow!" Quarter, able to thread her way through the dancing and playing fish, managed to get up to Nathaniel. She whispered something in his ear, a wide smile crossing her face. His expression changed to one of interest and curiosity, eyes lit up, and he turned to follow her. Nobody noticed when he slipped away.

"Under the sea, under the sea. When the sardine begin the beguine, it's music to me. What do they got? A lot of sand! We got a hot crustacean band. Each little clam here know how to jam here under the sea. Each little slug here cuttin' a rug here, under the sea. Each little snail here know how to wail here, that's why it's hotter under the water. Ya we in luck here, down in the muck here, under the sea." They finished with a great flourish to an empty space. Carter blinked in surprise.

"Where did Nathaniel go?" He asked blankly.

XXXX

"What is it, Quarter?" Nathaniel asked. He had never seen Quarter Queen look so excited. She was practically glowing red, and couldn't seem to swim in a straight line. She was zig-zagging all over the place, and Nathaniel could feel her excitement transfer into his body. He swam faster, his hands shaking.

"Just come!" Quarter insisted. Laughing, Nathaniel followed Quarter to his cave of wonders; the angelfish was vibrating excitement though she didn't move to go in. Nathaniel stopped by her, but she swam behind him and pushed his head. "Look, Nate!" Nathaniel looked in and gasped.

"Oh, wow, Quarter!" He darted in and stopped short in front of the statue of Mello. It was an exact replica of the blonde, and Nathaniel felt his breath catch. Mello's eyes were wide, and the statue had a smile on his face that looked easy. It was stone, but when Nathaniel put his hand on the statue's face, he could remember the softness of the cheek and the tan color of Mello's face.

"I told ya you'd like it." Quarter said proudly when nothing else came from her friend. Nathaniel beamed at her before circling the statue, talking happily between Quarter and his imagination. His fingers never left the statue, trailing over every inch of it as he spoke almost breathlessly. Opening her mouth to say something, Quarter squeaked when a dark shadow came over her. Gulping lightly, she looked up into the annoyed eyes of Wammy.

"EEP!" She squeaked again, louder, and darted behind Nathaniel, who had frozen at being caught. Wammy looked around the cave, disappointment etching into his features. When he caught sight of the statue, sorrow joined the disappointment. Nathaniel, who had been watching as the king studied his collection, sighed and covered his eyes.

"Wammy." He sighed, a slight pleading note in his voice. Wammy nodded once, and Nathaniel buried his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Nathaniel." Wammy said softly. "There's no other way." Nathaniel didn't move as his precious collection began to crash around him. He moved to the side to avoid getting hit by the falling debris of rock and metal, Quarter moving with him. She looked up at him, but turned away after a few seconds; Nathaniel's usually calm demeanor was replaced by a look of pure devastation as he watched his hours of searching crumble to dust at his tail.

When Wammy turned to the statue, having saved that particular object for last, Nathaniel moved.

"Wammy, no!" He cried, racing towards him. Nathaniel reached out, his hand touching Wammy's shoulder. The old king closed his eyes, Nathaniel reaching out in desperation. "Don't, please, I- - -" His fingers hovered inches from the statue of Mello. It glowed brightly, the stone turning gold briefly; Quarter Queen covered her eyes as the statue exploded. Nathaniel froze, numb from shock. Even the blood floating from his fingertips and arm didn't register in his mind. All he saw was the pieces of stone falling gently to the floor of his cave.

"I am sorry, Nathaniel." Wammy said softly, reaching out to touch Nathaniel's shoulder gently. Nathaniel moved away stiffly, reaching out to catch a falling piece of the statue. Wammy sighed, unable to watch Nathaniel's silent sorrow, and turned to leave. "Carter, watch him." He said softly. Then he was gone.

"Nate- - -" Carter started, but was interrupted by Nathaniel, whose eyes were covered by his bangs as he looked over his destroyed cave.

"Just go away." Nathaniel whimpered softly, wrapping his arms around his chest. The destroyed and barren shelves caused an ache in his chest that made him want to cry; he was valiantly trying to keep it bottled up until he was alone. His breathing hitched, and he curled into himself. "Leave me alone."

"Let's go." Quarter said quietly, pushing Carter out. She cast one more sad glance at her friend before following Carter out of the cave. When they were gone, Nate sank down, joining his scattered possessions on the floor. The sharp edges of the stone cut into his tail, but he ignored it; he picked at the stone until something caught his eye- - -the stone shape that had depicted Mello's eyes.

Nathaniel broke down and cried amongst his prized possessions destroyed on the floor.

* * *

All right, chapter 5. XD well, not such a happy thing, but still.

Almost there! Someone asked who 'Near' was since 'Nate' was in this story. It'll be explained, so no worries. XD


	6. Chapter 5: Meeting Place

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Roger, that I wasn't imagining things! Even Matt said he saw something!" Roger groaned and placed his forehead on his hand, staring down at the table. It had been a few days, and Mello was still stubbornly insisting on finding his supposed savior. All Roger had done was mention, in passing, that the Princess Sayu was thinking of heading over to visit the kingdom, and Mello had exploded. Though he hadn't mentioned before that Matt had seen something as well...

"On the ship." Matt clarified when Roger turned to him. Roger raised an eyebrow before sighing heavily, rubbing at his temples to impede the oncoming headache. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with the foolishness of his charge and his best friend.

"All right, fine." He said finally. Mello perked up at the words. "Let's say that you did see something. You don't even know who rescued you, Mello." The blonde wilted again, and a dark scowl crossed his face. Roger steepled his finger and narrowed his eyes, looking for a bargaining chip. "At least meet her, though."

"Nuh-uh. No way." Mello shook his head violently. Roger was impressed by his emotional rejection, though he couldn't say it was unpredictable. "Hell no. Not in a million years."

That was slightly less predictable.

"What?" Roger gasped. How would he be able to tell the young Princess that the Prince had no intention of ever meeting her? What reason could he give, aside from a vague excuse or blaming it entirely on Mello's stubbornness? "Why not?"

"Because I wanna meet the person who saved me first." Mello said, crossing his arms and smirking smugly. He felt that he had backed the old man into a corner, something that Roger could clearly see. In response, he rolled his eyes. "I'll marry that person." Mello added, half serious and half joking.

"And if it's a boy?" Roger asked, crossing his arms as he challenged. Mello shrugged.

"We'll figure out a way, I'm sure." Mello said smoothly. Roger let out another groan as he rested his head in his hands.

"I wish I didn't ask." Roger muttered blandly. Mello shrugged in response, but Matt cracked up from his spot next to Mello, his hands in his hair. They turned to him, confusion painted on both of their faces.

"Better start figuring out a way." Matt said through his laughter. "What I saw? Definately male." Roger groaned and hit his face with his hand.

Damn Mello.

XXXX

"Nate? Nate?" Misa swam through the opening to find her brother looking around from the floor, sorrow in his eyes. The tears that had fallen were obvious in the red that colored his eyes, though Nathaniel was no longer crying. She went up to him and sank down next to him, unsure of what to say or how to break the silence her brother had adopted.

"Misa..." He said softly, rubbing at his face futilely. His arm was no longer leaking blood, but the angry red welts were vibrant and obvious on his pale white skin.

"Carter told Misa-Misa what happened." She said, touching her brother's arm though being mindful of the cuts. He winced at her touch, and she sighed. "Misa-Misa can help."

"How?" Nathaniel choked out, not looking at her. He picked up a torn and tattered book, flipping through the destroyed pages dejectedly. The paper, much different than the ones normally used under the water, tore easily from the damaged spine of the book.

"Kira-kun can- - -"

"Kira?" Nathaniel hissed suddenly, cutting Misa off. His grip tightened, doing more damage to the broken spine of the book. She winced this time and bit her lip, unused to the amount of hate that lined her brother's words. "Kira is evil, he's...he's not- - -Kira?"

"It was a suggestion!" Misa mumbled defensively, bowing her head. She detested being sent after Nathaniel; despite being closer to the boy in age, she was by no means the closest to him. All she could offer as comfort was the help of another, one who was hated by the entirety of all of the oceans. "Kira-kun isn't really that bad. He's...he's really sweet, and- - -"

"Sweet?" Nathaniel echoed blankly, unnerved by the word 'sweet' being used in the same sentence as 'Kira'. Then his eyes widened as the realization set in, and he turned to face his sister in shock and surprise. "You-You love him...don't you?" Misa shrugged, smiling to the side.

"I do." She whispered seriously. Then she turned to Nathaniel, her brown eyes pleading. "He's...he won't do anything, Misa-Misa promises!"

"Leave, please, Misa." Nathaniel said quietly, turned away from his sister. She hesitated, gingerly reaching out again, but she shrank back with a squeak when Nathaniel suddenly threw the book at her. She looked at him, hurt on her face, but it softened when she saw the dark look on his face. Misa sighed, but moved forward and pressed a kiss to Nathaniel's forehead. He winced once again, but she ignored it.

"As you want, Nathaniel." She said softly as she exited.

XXXX

Mello threw rocks into the water, one at a time, his brow furrowed in concentration. Matt stood behind him, supposedly thinking hard about what he had seen on the boat.

"Where could he have gone, Matt?" He asked, throwing another rock. His free hand was full of small, round stones that he had spent hours looking for as a child. Matt stayed silent, and Mello held his hand out in irritation. Placing a chocolate bar in the open hand, Matt shrugged wordlessly, already tired of trying to find someone who didn't want to be found. Mello glared at him as he took a bite of his chocolate, frustrated at the dead end. "C'mon, Matt, you saw him!"

"Briefly, man!" Matt protested tiredly. His voice was laced with annoyance. "And it was on the ship. It wasn't anywhere near here."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Mello groaned in protest. He dropped the chocolate bar back into Matt's hands and threw his next rock with more force, trying to vent his frustration in the only way he knew how. "Black eyes- - -"

"- - -and white hair- - -" Matt added unhelpfully, laughing when Mello glared at him.

"The only thing that looks like that is Near." Mello threw another rock, less force behind it as he contemplated the idea of being saved by an underwater creature- - -a merperson. Merman?

"And this isn't one of those merpeople myths." Matt reminded Mello with his ever present irritation at the idea of mermaids and other such nonsense. "Sea people don't exist."

"White hair and black eyes." Mello repeated, ignoring Matt. He threw the rest of the rocks he had, screaming his frustration out over the open water. "This shouldn't be so damn hard!"

XXXX

Nathaniel was still in his cave when two eels came by, one pitch black and the other pure white. Both had bright yellow eyes that glittered in his dark cave, and Nathaniel froze as he sensed their presence in his current hideaway. They circled around him, and he did his best not to acknowledge them in any way.

"Look," one hissed out, glee and malice mixing in his voice. "It's Nate."

"Yes," the other whispered softly, lacking the malice of her partner. "Nate."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Nathaniel asked, rubbing his eyes again and turning to glare at them.

"Ryuk." The black one hissed.

"Rem." Nathaniel's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger.

"You- - -the two of you- - -"

"Work for Kira?" Rem cut in smoothly.

"We do." Ryuk nodded. "He's not so bad, really."

"Yes. He'll be fair with you." Rem added.

"I don't believe you." Nathaniel said slowly, his mind working a way to get them to leave.

"Oh, but you will." Ryuk said.

"Yes, because Kira can grant your wish." Rem whispered in Nathaniel's ear. Nathaniel whipped his head around to look at the white eel, startled to hear her so close to him. Ryuk snickered at his actions.

"My...wish?" He said softly, confused.

"Yes." Ryuk hissed. His tail flipped over a piece of stone, the noise echoing in the cave around them. Nathaniel turned wide eyes to Ryuk at the noise. "That boy, the Prince- - -"

"And you- - -" Rem added.

"Together." They said at the same time, entwining with a small smirk on each. "Forever." Nathaniel felt his eyes widen at the prospect of meeting Mello, of having a relationship with the blonde. Unwillingly, hope began blooming in his heart.

"Together..." Nathaniel repeated slowly, running the thought through his head. They nodded, sensing his change of expression.

"We can show you- - -" Ryuk started.

"Where Kira lives." Rem finished.

"No!" Nathaniel shouted suddenly, shaking his head almost violently. His imaginings shattered and he turned away from Kira's servants. They didn't flinch at his outburst. "Go away, leave me alone!" Ryuk and Rem looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"As you wish, Nate." Ryuk said, slinking away dejectedly.

"We only wished to help." Rem muttered, following in the same manner. They left Nathaniel in silence once more.

XXXX

"I wonder what my savior's like." Mello mused, leaning his head against his window. The sky outside was black with night, but the water was still visible from the blonde prince's room. His eyes traced the shoreline, mesmerized by the pull of the waves on the dark sand. "All white like that..."

"Are you still on that?" Matt huffed in annoyance. Mello made a noncommittal noise, and the red head rolled his eyes. "Probably some kid who's, like, real innocent and stuff." Matt muttered, not really paying attention to his friend any more.

"He had a good voice." Mello said softly, though he sounded distracted as well. Matt turned to look at him incredulously.

"What?" Mello looked at him out of the corner of his eye. His face began turning a darkening shade of red, but he shrugged as if it wasn't important.

"I heard singing, before you came." He told Matt. Matt shook his head.

"I think that you need lots and lots of rest, Mels." He said. "You're starting to imagine a lot of things here."

Mello threw a nearby chocolate at Matt's head in response.

XXXX

"Misa is certain?" Nathaniel asked softly, hand twirling his silver hair, sitting by his sister on her bed. He had finally dragged himself out of his cave, but he ignored all chances of conversation with his siblings by heading for Misa's room and waiting for the blonde mermaid to appear. He didn't want anyone talking him out of his plan, and Misa had come in not long after he had to help him.

"Pinky swear!" Misa held out her pinky, her expression determined. Hesitatingly, Nathaniel hooked his own around hers. She smiled brightly, swinging their connected hands back and forth a few times before pressing her lips against their knot of fingers. "Now, follow Misa-Misa." She said, pulling him out of her room. Nathaniel followed her, partly to find Kira and partly because Misa still had a strong hold on his hand.

"Where are you two going?" Came from the middle of the hallway behind them. They froze, then whirled around to face Lawliet. The eldest merman was staring peculiarly at them, as if he had never seen Misa and Nathaniel together before. Nathaniel felt his jaw drop open slightly, mind racing to find an excuse for his brother.

"We're going out, Lawliet." Misa said softly, her hand tightening on Nathaniel's. Lawliet looked between the both of them curiously. "We'll be right back, ok?" Lawliet raised an eyebrow.

"It is very late..." He noted dryly. "Far too dangerous for Wammy's youngest to be going out all on their own. Perhaps I should go as well?"

"NO!" Misa protested instantly, and quite loudly. Naomi peered out of her room, Takada following the other girl to stare curiously out into the hallway. Mikami cracked his door open, pretending he wasn't watching to see what would happen. Lawliet's dark eyes locked on hers, and Misa flushed lightly. She waved at her siblings carelessly, trying to encourage them to go back to what they had been doing. "Ah, meaning, it's a secret. Misa-Misa only wants to show Nate."

"I see." Lawliet placed his thumb in his mouth, and Nathaniel held his breath. Mikami got bored and quietly closed his door again. Naomi and Takada watched Lawliet with wide eyes. "Hurry back, then." Lawliet said after a long moment's thought. Misa nodded and pulled Nathaniel out quickly, both breathing a sigh of relief as they vanished.

"You won't go after them?" Takada asked from Naomi's room, sitting the other girl back on the bed and continuing to brush the long black locks of Naomi's hair. Naomi frowned from in front of Takada, her tail moving lazily in the water.

"That's not like you, Lawliet." She said disapprovingly. Wammy's eldest child bit his thumb again, eyes darting through the rooms before resting on the exit where Misa and Nathaniel had left.

"I cannot." Lawliet said firmly, though disappointedly. "But I shall inform Carter to follow them."

* * *

All right, chapter 6. XD and the plot finally thickens! haha

And, methegirl, i know you asked. i remember you! XD how are you liking this story thus far?


	7. Chapter 6: Poor Unfortunate Souls

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"Ryuk!" Misa cheered, wrapping her arms around the black eel. Nathaniel winced as Rem wrapped herself slowly around his torso while waiting for Misa's attention; eels were slimy and Nathaniel couldn't fathom why Misa would touch them. "Long time, no see!" Rem turned around when Misa reached out and touched her, sliding up her arm. "Hiya, Rem."

"Hello, Misa." They chorused together. Nathaniel shuddered again as they spoke. They were creepy.

"Oh?" Rem blinked in mock surprise.

"It's Nate." Ryuk said, laughing. "Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk."

"Changed your mind, Nate?" Rem purred lightly. Nathaniel pulled away, making a face the closer Rem got.

"This way, Nate." Misa pulled his arm, seeming unaware of the treatment of her brother. Ryuk and Rem followed, snickering every few moments. Nathaniel ignored them, inspecting the maze of a cave Misa was leading him through. "Kira-kun, I'm back!"

"Welcome back, Misa." A dark merperson with brown hair and red eyes, as well as a black tail mixed with blue-green appeared in the empty space before them. Misa squealed and let go of Nathaniel, throwing her arms around Kira's neck. He put his hands on her waist to steady her and gave her a sharp smile. "It's been quite a while since you last came...by..." He trailed off as his eyes landed on Nathaniel behind her. Looking from Misa to Nate a few times curiously, Kira came forward slowly, looking him over as he did so. "Hello. Who's this?"

"It's Nathaniel, my youngest brother!" Misa said. She followed Kira and smiled hopefully up at the merman before her. "He's got a small wish. Will you help him, Kira-kun? Please?"

"Of course, of course." Kira promised. "I'll try my best." He touched Nathaniel's chin lightly, forcing the smaller boy to look at him. Nathaniel tried to pull away, not liking the touch of others, but Kira held fast and gave him no room to move. Ruby red eyes clashed with onyx black. Nathaniel felt fear trail up his spine and lodge in his throat. "And what, little brother, is your wish?"

XXXX

"Mels, are you gonna sleep any time soon?" Matt asked irritably from where he was laying on the bed. The candles in the room were dimming, but they hadn't been put out yet. For the second day in a row, Mello had been unlike himself and Roger was at his wits' end. "Roger is starting to think that I caused this, and now _I_ can't sleep until you do." Mello ignored him, leaning against the rail to the balcony that led to his room. Matt stood up with a deep sigh, going out onto the balcony and moving to stand next to him. "Mels?"

"I can feel something." Mello said blankly, staring intently out at the water. He'd been out there since nightfall, and he showed no signs of re-entering his room any time soon. His hand held a chocolate bar, though it was unopened and slowly being crushed to pieces in Mello's hand. He didn't seem responsive to Matt, though the red head put his hand on his best friend's shoulder. Matt frowned, starting to feel a little worried.

"Come on, Mello, you've gotta rest at some point." Matt said, pulling him inside with some difficulty. Mello resisted, his blue eyes gray and stormy like the restless waves pounding on the shore. Matt was only barely able to pull the blonde indoors, but he couldn't get Mello to budge from the window.

"Can't you feel it?" Mello asked him. His breath was starting to come in fast pants, and he pushed Matt away when the red head tried to pull him away again.

"Feel what?" Matt asked, not really paying attention. He'd tumbled to the floor when Mello pushed him and was debating on getting back up to help Mello or just ignoring the blonde until he was acting normally again.

"Something big is happening." Mello said, looking at the water again. He pressed his hands and his face against the window, seemingly uncaring of the damage it was doing to his chocolate bar. His eyes were wide and unblinking, his whole aura screaming desperation. "Something is calling me. Some- - -"

"No more chocolate for you." Matt decided firmly, groaning as he rolled over.

XXXX

"Can Kira really help me?" Nathaniel asked softly, suddenly weary of his choice. Kira had released his face and had grabbed onto Nathaniel's hand the way Misa had, taking him to the main part of the cave he lived in. "Can he really grant my wish?"

"Of course, of course!" Kira exclaimed with a wave of his free hand. He sat Nathaniel down in front of an enormous cauldron, and met his eyes again. "That's what I do, little brother! It's what I live for, to help unfortunate merfolk- - -like yourself."

"Poor souls, with no one else to turn to." Misa cooed softly, wrapping her arms around Nathaniel from behind as she placed her cheek on his back.

"Misa?" Nathaniel asked quietly, curious as to her role with Kira. She pulled away and moved so she could see his face.

"I admit that in the past, we were evil." She started, touching his face softly and pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

"They weren't kidding when they called us, well, a witch." Kira said, moving to the center of the room.

"But you'll find that nowadays, we've mended all our ways." Misa told him. "Repented, seen the light and made a switch. True?"

"Yes." Kira called from across the room now. Nathaniel watched with slight interest as Kira began picking up bottles and looking them over.

"And we fortunately know a little magic." Misa moved Ryuk to reach something, Nate watching as she began grabbing things off the shelves as well. "It's a talent that we always have possessed."

"And here lately, please don't laugh," Kira muttered, placing a line of bottles near a large vat in the middle of the room. "We use it on behalf," he opened it and brought out two examples- - -a gawky mermale and a large mermaid. "Of the miserable, lonely and depressed."

"Pathetic." Rem hissed at Ryuk, her tail shaking in laughter. Kira turned and glared at her; Ryuk snickered, but Rem scowled back in annoyance.

"Poor unfortunate souls," he corrected softly, returning his attention to the examples. His hand traced over the both of them, mixing the smoke and distorting the images. "In pain, in need." He waved his hand over both.

"This one longing to be thinner, that one wants to get the girl, and do we help them?" Misa asked as Kira locked eyes with Nathaniel again over the cauldron.

"Yes, indeed." He smirked, snapping so that the images changed, each wish being granted. The young mermaid looked much thinner, excitement lighting up her pretty face. The other mermale looked stronger, healthier; a big smile crossed his face as well.

"Those poor unfortunate souls." Misa muttered, touching Rem softly as she looked over a bottle. The eel arched into the contact. "So sad, so true."

"They come flocking to our cauldron crying, 'spells, help us, please!'" Kira said, reaching over and pulling Nathaniel closer to the vat. Nathaniel belatedly placed his hands on the mouth of it, stopping his face from being pulled through the smoke; Kira met him halfway, his red eyes glowing ominously through the smokey images. "And we help them."

"Yes, we do." Misa joined them, smiling softly. Kira sighed heavily, looking at the two examples. Remorse crossed his features, distorting the crazed look that had momentarily taken over his face.

"Now, it's happened once or twice." Kira closed his eyes. "Someone couldn't pay the price, and I'm afraid we've had to rake 'em 'cross the coals." He waved his hand over them again, and they returned to their original forms. They looked more depressed as they did, and Kira turned away, banishing the smoke images away.

"Yes, we've had the odd complaint- - -" Misa whined softly, wrapping her arm around Nathaniel's shoulders. "But on the whole we've been like saints- - -"

"To those poor unfortunate souls!" They chorused. Nathaniel took a breath and looked at them, nodding slightly to show he understood. Kira started throwing things into the vat, not even paying attention to what Misa was handing him, and started talking to Nathaniel.

"Here's the deal, little brother." He said. Nate's eyes went from his sister to Kira, slightly shocked at the endearment the other casually used with him. Mis giggled. "I'm gonna have to put a time limit on ya, ok? I don't think King Wammy will be happy if I do this _permanently. _Then again, he won't like this, either, because I may not be able to turn you back for a while."

"What?" Nathaniel asked, confused. Kira glanced at him briefly before turning back to his work.

"If you don't do what I tell you to do in the time I give you, you'll turn to sea foam." Kira winced slightly at Nathaniel's wide eyes. Before he could open his mouth to protest, Kira hastened to explain. "Look, I don't like it either, but it's probably for the best ok?We don't want you to turn to sea foam, either. So, what we do is this- - -I'm gonna give you three days, ok? You've got three days to make this Prince- - -"

"Mello." Misa said helpfully. Kira nodded distractedly.

"Right. Three days to make Mello fall in love with you, and kiss you, ok?" Nathaniel was about to nod, but- - -

"Three? That's not nearly enough time!" He protested. Kira paused, now fully stopping to stare incredulously at the white mermale.

"Three days, kid." He repeated.

"I'll need more time than that!" Nathaniel insisted, eyes wide and alight with panic. Misa touched Kira's shoulder softly and he sighed, placing his hand over hers.

"I can't do that, little brother, it costs more!" He told him. Nathaniel frowned, stopping his protest before he could voice it.

"Cost?" Kira nodded.

"I don't do this stuff for free, little brother. I can't, that's not how magic works." He said softly. "Three days, and you lose your emotions."

"What does that mean?" Nathaniel asked, frown deepening. His finger embedded itself in his hair as he tried to make sense of the concept of magic; he considered not going through with what Misa and Kira asked if him. Kira shook his head.

"It's not as serious as you think." He said hastily. "I can't strip you completely of your emotions. It's more like, you lose the ability to express them through your face, your eyes, your body language. The tell-tale places of emotions." The white mermale thought about it for a short moment before nodding once in agreement. Kira sighed, his shoulders slumping in relief.

"I still need more than three days." Nathaniel pointed out. Kira sighed, rubbing his temples as he thought of what he could take to balance the deal.

"That adds your voice to the deal, then, little brother." Nathaniel blinked.

"My voice?" He asked. Kira nodded, and Nathaniel looked at his hands, thinking on the addition and debating on whether or not it was worth it. What would he need more, his voice or the extra time? Kira and Misa watched the top of his head before Nathaniel looked up again. "But without my voice, how can I- - -"

"You'll have your looks!" Misa cut in, darting to her younger brother and touching his shoulder.

"Your pretty face." Kira added in, and Nathaniel flushed.

"And don't underestimate the importance of body language..." Misa trailed off, looking slightly embarassed as Nathaniel turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Kira rolled his eyes fondly, but gently took Nathaniel's face and turned it to him.

"The men up there don't like a lot of blabber." Kira explained softly, the vat behind him glowing brightly. "They think peope who gossip are a bore."

"Yes, on land it's much preferred for children not to say a word, and after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?" Misa asked, touching Nathaniel's shoulders and turning him back to face her so she could see him fully.

"Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation." Kira added. "True gentlemen avoid it when they can. But they dote and swoon and fawn on a child who's withdrawn. It's one who holds their tongue who gets a man."

"Come on, you poor unfortunate soul." Misa said softly, her hand trailing down Nathaniel's face as Kira pulled a paper out. "Go ahead, make your choice."

"We're very busy people, and we haven't got all day." Kira said softly, placing the paper in front of Nathaniel. "It won't cost much- - -just your voice." Nathaniel stared at the paper with absolute terror in his eyes, and Kira looked at Misa, worried.

"You poor unfortunate soul. It's sad, but true." Misa said, forcing Nathaniel to look at her again by touching his chin. "If you want to cross a bridge, my dear, you've got to pay the toll. Take a gulp and take a breath, and go ahead and sign the scroll." Nathaniel took a pen from Misa, taking one more look at her supportive face, and signed the paper as the two shared a smile.

"Misa-Misa, now we've done it, dear. We're really on a roll." Kira kissed the blonde mermaid quickly before turning and focusing on the vat, pouring his magic into it. "This poor unfortunate soul..." He trailed off, Nathaniel's eyes on him, as Misa started.

"Palooga, tsuruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea." Her voice echoed in the whirlwind that started circling the three of them. Nathaniel felt his breath catch in his throat, his eyes widening in surprise. His face stiffened, the muscles tightening and not relaxing despite his fingers jumping up to press against it.

"Now rings us glossitis and max laryngitis, la voce to me." Kira paused to take a breath, touching Nathaniel's shoulder softly. The pale merboy turned wide black eyes to Kira, but the other didn't notice. Misa wrapped her arms around him from behind, her blonde hair momentarily blocking Nathaniel's vision. "Now, sing..." He blinked, but opened his mouth. Kira nodded, eyes trained on the vat. "Pour your emotion in...keep singing!" Kira encouraged as Nathaniel felt his voice slip out of his throat with only a slight falter.

* * *

All right, chapter 7. XD

as for reviews: The Munch, i'm glad you gave my story a try, even though you dont like MelloNear, and even happier that you like reading it. XD

for the rest of you guys reading this, this story is actually finished already-all i have to do is type it up and upload it, so there may be faster uploads than my other stories. This chapter actually came out longer than I expected, even with the song lyrics...hmmm...


	8. Chapter 7: Wish Come True

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Matt stood up and grabbed Mello's arm, trying to pull the blonde into the room. After a few moments, Mello seemed to withdraw his attention from the sea; his gaze was still distant but he curled in on himself, his free hand clenching at his leg. Worried, Matt tried to keep Mello moving towards his room so he could lay down on his bed, but Mello suddenly stopped and stared at the water again. His face was more open than Matt had ever seen it, Mello's blue eyes wide in shock and his breath coming in small gasps.

"No." He breathed softly, his fists clenching at his sides. Groaning in frustration, Matt rubbed his temples and took a deep breath.

"Mello." He said slowly, through grit teeth. The blonde tilted his head in the red head's direction as acknowledgement, and Matt took it as a sign to continue. "It is late. I am _tired_. What the hell is it now?" Mello didn't answer; he started shaking, just slightly, and Matt turned to him in annoyance. "Mello!"

"What, Matt?" Mello asked distantly, his voice sounding far away. Matt stomped to the front of his friend, coming between Mello and the sea. Mello blinked and suddenly seemed to snap out of his reverie, blinking in confusion. "What is it?" He snapped, sounding much more like himself.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked.

"Nothing's wrong." Mello frowned slightly. He looked down at his clenched fist and noticed the crushed chocolate wrapper. Frowning even more, Mello unclenched his fist and watched as the destroyed wrapper and crushed chocolate fell to the floor of his room. "I need a chocolate bar."

"Oh, no." Matt shook his head violently, laughing humorlessly at the very idea. "No way, no how." Mello finally glanced at him, a scowl decorating his features.

"What? Why not?"

"Because you've been acting like you belong in the loony bin all night long, dammit." Matt said, frustration lacing his words. He sat down heavily on the side of Mello's bed, his hand massaging his temple. "It's been a long and frustrating night. I just want to go to sleep, dammit! Besides, who knows what chocolate is going to do to you at this hour?" Mello stared at Matt for a long moment before slowly coming to stand beside his red headed friend. They stood in silence before Mello moved, bringing his fist around the side of Matt's head. "OW!"

"Don't deny me my chocolate." Mello said, turning on his heel and leaving the room.

XXXX

Nathaniel gasped silently when he felt something beneath his hip split in half- - -his tail had turned into legs. He moved them experimentally, but couldn't appreciate the difference between a tail and legs. Almost instantly, Nathaniel couldn't breath at all. He tried, but he just pulled in water. It rushed into his mouth and down his throat, the taste salty and sickening. Doubling over, Nate grabbed at his throat frantically, trying not to swallow more sea water. Instead, it burst up his nose, burning his nostrils and forcing him to plug his nose and cover his mouth with one hand.

"Get him above surface now, Misa!" Kira ordered loudly, moving quickly around the vat and grabbing one of Nathaniel's arms. The blonde had pulled away when the magic took hold of Nathaniel, and now she was watching in horror as the younger boy drowned. Kira's voice pulled her to action; Misa instantly grabbed Nathaniel's other arm, and they both pulled upwards, trying to get him above the water.

They barely made it.

As soon as they hit the surface, Nathaniel's body wracked with silent coughs as water poured from his mouth and nose. He took big gulps of air through his nose, trying to calm his racing heart and burning lungs. Kira and Misa watched him quietly as he regained his bearings, treading the water to ensure his head stayed above the waves.

"To the shore, there, by the rocks." Misa said, pulling Nate again in the direction she wanted to go. Kira followed, and they placed him gently in what sand they could drag themselves up to. Nathaniel sat up slowly and looked at them, his face betraying none of the panic and fear that had come along with being betrayed by the one thing he'd been a part of for so long.

"Are you all right, little brother?" Kira asked. Nathaniel opened his mouth to answer them, but then seemed to think twice about it. He nodded a few times before absent-mindedly lifting a knee up to his chest. Blinking, Nate stared at it in amazement, stretching it out and pulling it back up to his chest. He repeated the process with his other leg, going so far as to wiggle his new toes above the water, but his interest in his new limbs showed only in his actions; Nathaniel's pale face remained carefully blank.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" They jumped when they heard Carter's familiar enraged voice and looked down at the crab simultaniously. Nathaniel blinked, wishing that he could show his own fear of getting caught like Misa and Kira, but managed to pull the annoying emotion inside.

"Carter!" Misa gasped loudly, falling under the water before resurfacing.

"Why are you here?" Kira asked curiously, tilting his head to the side. Carter scowled at him, shaking his claws threateningly at the mermale.

"You're lucky I don't have your head for this, Kira!" He snapped. "Just _look_ at Nathaniel!"

"I don't see anything wrong with him." Beyond's voice joined in and the bird landed on the rock next to Nathaniel, looking him over. "You became that desperate, huh, kid?" Nathaniel wanted to flush, knowing that under normal circumstances his face would be a bright, burning red; that was under normal circumstances, though, and nothing about this situation could be considered normal. As such, nothing happened. Beyond looked at him, discontent flickering in his crimson eyes. The bird appeared to be trying to examine Nathaniel closely while maintaining a safe distance from the boy. It was odd to sense the distance between them, but Nathaniel couldn't show the slight hurt he felt on his face. "What's with your face? I remember it being more..."

"It's part of behing human." Kira explained. Beyond looked at him, tilting his head further to side as he studied the new mermale.

"I see."

"Besides," Kira continued, turning to Carter. The crab's face twitched, and Nathaniel watched the conversation more intently, watching as the emotions flew across everyone's face. "He said it was all right." Carter gaped at him, then turned to Nathaniel.

"Nathaniel, is this true?" Nathaniel looked to the side, curling a finger in his hair in a movement that was comforting and familiar as he mulled over how to answer the question. His eyes traced over Kira and Misa, the two merpeople looking appropriately nervous; if he disagreed with Kira, the darker mermale could potentially be executed. Nathaniel's eyes moved from Kira and Misa to Carter, and nodded slowly. Carter's jaw dropped and it was quiet for a few seconds, the only sound being the waves against the sand. "I'm going to Wammy." Carter decided finally, his voice sounding strained. He turned to the deeper part of the sea, preparing to go under. "He'll know what to do."

"NO, Carter, wait!" Misa cried, grabbing the crab as he tried to leave. "Please, let Nate stay, please?" Carter opened his mouth, but paused when Misa pouted at him. She was the type of mermaid that looked too upset when he pouted, making the recipient feel like they were kicking her while she was down. Carter was no exception- - -he took one look and he sighed.

"Do you want to stay, Nate?" He asked, turning to face him. Nathaniel took a breath at being addressed, but nodded solemly. Carter closed his eyes, resignation painting over his face as he gave in. "All right, all right. Fine." Misa squealed happily and kissed Carter's head. Carter scowled, rolling his eyes. "I swear, you two..."

XXXX

Mello sat against the window, staring down at the water again, thinking. The sun was high in the sky, signaling that it was around noon. Despite being up all night, though, Mello wasn't tired; his blue eyes were dark and alert, narrowed as he pondered. His chocolate bar was half eaten against his lips, but he had lost interest in it when he'd caught sight of the blue water lapping at the shore.

The night before had been strange. Mello remembered enough of it to know that. He was usually addicted to the water, often drowning out Roger and anyone talking to him in favor of daydreaming about the ocean. He always wanted to be near the water, sneaking aboard boats and ships with Matt, always wanted to go for a swim and feel the cool salt water against his body.

But last night...

Last night he was drawn to the water. Something had taken hold of him, filling his body to his fingertips and making his toes tingle in anticipation. He was torn between wanting to walk down to the beach and pace the sand and just diving under the water to let it take him where the current pleased. It was a good thing Matt had been with him; he could have potentially drowned himself had the red head not been there to keep an eye on him and keep him in his room. There had even been a moment when Mello was ready to jump from the balcony, prevent by Matt grabbing his arm and dragging him inside.

Speaking of...

Mello turned slightly and regarded Matt out of the corner of his eye. The red head was sprawled on the bed, having passed out sometime around daybreak. In the light of Mello's almost drowning, Roger had taken off his separation of the two boys; Matt had been even more attached to Mello than usual. Mello studied his friend while he slept, thinking somewhere in the back of his mind that he have to pay Matt back for keeping him up all night.

"Nngh..." Matt groaned and, as Mello watched him, sat up blearily. He winced at the intake of sun and covered his eyes. "Damn, it's bright."

"It's noon." Mello answered shortly. Matt rubbed his eyes and looked over at his friend, squinting in the light. Mello could see the slump of Matt's shoulders as the red head realized that Mello was still by the window, staring out at the sea. Wrinkling his nose slightly, Mello took his gaze from his friend and looked back out at the water, taking another bite of his chocolate. Silence hung between the two friends, thick and heavy, full of tension.

"Let's walk on the beach." Matt offered suddenly, breaking the silence. Mello looked from the window he was staring out of, confusion in his eyes as he turned around completely to look at Matt.

"What?" He asked slowly. Matt raised an eyebrow and nodded over to the water Mello had been staring at. He leaned back on his elbows and cracked his neck, smirking at Mello's wince of discomfort.

"The beach?" He repeated slowly, as Mello didn't understand him. "Y'know, the thing you've been staring at all night long?" Mello looked at it one more time; though it wasn't as strong as it was the night before, the ocean still called him to it. A walk on the beach might be just the thing to keep it quiet for the moment. He took another bite of chocolate before shrugging and standing up.

"All right." He said, cracking his knuckles. "Lead the way, Matt."

XXXX

"But you need to stay with him." Misa added firmly.

"I know that!" Carter said. He turned to Nathaniel, who was staring at his legs in curiosity as he tried to figure out how they worked. He moved them around slowly, tilting his feet around and bending his knees as much as he could. Carter sighed and walked up to his elbow, pinching it hard and leaving a mark behind. The pale boy turned his head slowly to the side, none of the pain he felt radiating up his arm showing on his face. It was strange, the unusualness of it making Carter shudder, but the crab delivered his irritable message anyway. "Nathaniel, boy, you've got to get up! Stand up like the human child you are!" Nathaniel blinked at him slowly before dropping his hands under the lapping water, forcing himself up. His legs wobbled unsteadily beneath him, but Nathaniel forced his new legs to take his weight. He stood shakily for a few seconds before starting to fall forwards into the water.

"Whoa!" Kira caught him before he fell under the water completely and helped him sit down on the sand again. "Come on, little brother. Careful, now." Nathaniel took a deep breath and pushed himself to stand again, his legs shaking slightly. This time, though shaky, he stayed standing. Beyond looked him over critically as he did, mulling over Nathaniel's lack of dress.

"Shouldn't we get him clothes from somewhere?" He dead panned.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Carter snapped. Beyond shrugged carelessly, hopping on his rock. "Buzz off, then." Beyond rolled his eyes.

"Jeez, you try to help a guy." He muttered softly. Stretching out his wings, Beyond pushed himself into the air. "See ya around, Nate." The boy waved once at the crow, and the next second, Beyond was gone. Carter rolled his eyes, muttering darkly about 'stupid crows', before looking up at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel was looking down at the three of them, his hand once again twirling his hair.

"You need to walk, boy, walk!" Carter said impatiently. Nathaniel nodded once and shifted his weight slightly to the right. It over-balanced him, and he once again crashed into the sand. He hit the grains of sand once, refusing anyone's help, and pushed himself to stand again. When he was steadier, Nathaniel experimentally shifted his weight to the right again, much slower this time, and managed to lift his foot from the sand. Encouraged, he moved it forward and placed his weight on his left leg, taking a small step.

That one step nearly knocked him off-balance, and for the first time he was glad that his voice was gone and his expression blanked. His mouth opened in a silent gasp of pain, pulling against his cheeks and causing pain to shoot up his face. Despite the pain from his face, Nathaniel couldn't feel it compared to the agony that took place of the feeling in his leg. Knives seemed to embed themselves in his leg, and he almost expected to see blood when he looked down. He took another slow step with the same reaction, and the pain forced him to fall back into the water. Carter and Misa shouted words of encouragement from the water, the blonde cheering and the crab egging him on. Kira frowned worriedly, the only one able to see the distress it cause him.

"Are you all right, little brother?" He asked quietly, his hand on the pale boy's shoulder. Nathaniel nodded and pushed himself up again. His legs were less shaky this time, more able to take his weight, but the same pain as before hit his legs with his first step. He wanted to clench his jaw, wanted to scream in agony and screw his eyes shut with pain. Instead, Nathaniel's face stayed blank and his voice stayed quiet. He gave no outward appearance of being in any pain; he didn't even limp. Kira could tell something was holding Nathaniel back, though, and he dearly wanted to know what it was. Biting his lip, Kira opened his mouth to say something when they heard voices on the beach.

"Let's go!" Misa gasped, diving under the water. Carter scrambled as well, ducking under the water after the blonde mermaid. Kira looked out into the distance of the water, torn between saying what he wanted and leaving to avoid discovery.

"Stay safe, little brother." Kira whispered softly, disappearing a few seconds later as he made his choice. Nathaniel blinked at his disappearance, longing to dive into the water after them; and as someone jumped onto the rock that hid him, he felt himself fall backwards again, into the water.

XXXX

"Race you to that rock." Matt offered. They'd been walking on the beach for almost an hour in complete silence; Matt trailing behind Mello and the blonde aimlessly following the line where the waves met the sand. Mello's eyes had been trained to the water, a chocolate bar in his hand, and Matt couldn't stand the silence any longer. Mello rolled his eyes.

"What are we, ten?" He scoffed. Taking a firm bite of the chocolate bar, the blonde shook his head with a laugh. He was grateful for the distraction, though. As soon as he'd touched the sand on the beach, the call to the water got much stronger. "No way. Race yourself, idiot."

"Ready..." Matt started, knowing that once he counted down Mello would have no choice but to do as he wanted.

"Matt, no." Mello said, laughing as he protested. He heard a commotion, turning his head to the side to hear better, but Matt's voice drowned it out as he spoke over Mello's protest.

"Set..." Matt continued to ignore the blonde.

"Matt, I'm not going to run, knock it off..."

"GO!" Mello shook his head, but took off running to the rock Matt pointed out anyway. Matt grinned and followed Mello across the beach.

The two boys whooped loudly as they ran, clothes and hair flying back from the sudden speed at which they had taken off. Mello grinned widely, feeling the sun warm his face and the soft sand give way underneath his bare feet as he bolted to beat Matt. Matt was close behind, they both of them able to hear each other as their breaths became loud pants to drag in air. The rock was steadily getting closer, and Mello closed his eyes and jumped; his body flew gracefully through the air, creating a brief feeling of flying, before he landed on the rock with enough force to numb his feet.

"I WIN!" Mello yelled across the beach at Matt when he jumped onto the rock. Ignoring the pain, he stood up and placed his hands on his hips, his blue eyes shining in victory. "Do you hear me, Matt?" He asked laughingly. The red head panted as he came to a stop by the rock, looking up at his childhood friend. "I win!" A splash came from behind him, making him frown suddenly. The beach was supposed to be empty; no one had enough courage to play in the water so close to the castle, especially during the noon hour when Mello and Matt we're out and about. "You hear that?" He asked.

"Funny, Mels." Matt panted heavily, leaning on the rock. Instead of trying to force Matt to believe he heard something, Mello felt compelled to find the source of the noise. Turning around, his eyes scanned the sand and then the water; it wasn't until he looked at his feet where the two met that his eyes widened when he took in the form of a pale boy.

A pale boy with white hair, unconscious and floating in the water.

"Matt!"

XXXX

Nathaniel placed his hand on his head as he sat up slowly, blinking.

He was in a big room, he noticed as he rubbed a spot on his head that throbbed. It had a lot of windows that looked out to the sea, and one that seemed to lead to an outside floor. The room was white, but filled with color- - -blue curtains framed the window, as well as a blue canopy that fell decoratively around the bed. Nathaniel touched the blanket curiously, marveling at its blue color and the feel of the warm material. Without thinking, he traced patterns into it continually.

"You're awake, then?" He looked down and saw Carter peering up at him from the sea of blue. "This is a fine mess we're in, because of you. Because you didn't want to stay in the water, where you belong." A noise attracted their attention and Carter scuttled behind the pillows that Nathaniel was leaning against.

Wait, pillows?

"Ah, so you're awake." A blonde woman came in, walking up to the bed and placing the back of her hand on his forehead. Nathaniel turned to her, his eyes blank. She blinked at suddenly being close to him, and pulled her hand away when she couldn't detect any sign of whatever it was she was looking for. "I'm Halle. How are you feeling?" Nathaniel shrugged one shoulder and looked away. His finger crept up and entangled itself in his hair. Halle looked him over, hands on her hips. "Tsk. Don't talk much, do ya, kid?"

"Halle!" The red-head Nathaniel recognized as Matt flew in the room. He felt the sudden urge to make himself more presentable, to stand and request- - -however silently- - -to be taken to Mello. He pressed himself deeper into the pillows, taking care not to crush Carter as he did so. "Halle, you're needed in the kitchen."

"Now?" She asked, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. Her eyes narrowed at Matt suspiciously, and the red head put his hands up in a mock gesture of peace. If anything, it made her eyes narrow further. Nathaniel watched them quietly, taking in the way they communicated without words.

"Roger said." Matt nodded, a sheepish smile covering his face. "Evidentally, our new cook got a few things caught on fire..."

"I swear, I'm going to kill that boy!" Halle thundered suddenly, forcing Nathaniel to lean further into the pillow. No one had ever shouted so loudly in his presence, not even Carter; that such a beautiful and fragile looking woman could reach that level of sound terrified Nathaniel, even if it didn't show on his face. "Idiotic Matsuda, can't do anything right..." She stomped out of the room, muttering, as Matt blinked owlishly at Nathaniel. He frowned slightly, as if he hadn't expected to be left alone with the pale boy.

"Oi. You're up." Nathaniel blinked as well before nodding sharply once, wondering why they insisted on bringing up the obvious. It was the second time he'd heard the same sentence, and he wondered how many more times he would hear it; it seemed that, despite their intelligence in books, humans were not as observant and smart in reality. It was a sinking disappointment for Nathaniel. "You should get dressed. Mels is gonna wanna talk to you."

* * *

All right, chapter 8. XD

And we finally get them to meet...well, next chapter, any way.

Wow, who'da thunk-Kira is actually not all that bad! haha.

methegirl, they will actually meet in the next chapter. The Munch (you're pen name is interesting, haha), BE FLATTERED! XD haha, and here's Lidner. See, she came up.


	9. Chapter 8: First Meeting

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Mello sighed, leaning back in his chair and unwrapping another chocolate bar. He'd called for Halle specifically, because she had gone and checked on the kid he and Matt had found, but she was taking forever to return to him. Taking a violent bite out of his chocolate bar out of annoyance, Mello watched the door and considered grabbing a servant to find the damn woman. It wasn't too far of a walk from the room they put him in to the music room where Mello was sitting, but Halle seemed unable to get from point A to point B as quickly as he wanted. Just as he decided to get up and search for her personally, the door opened.

"About time, Halle." He snapped, unable to help the jab at her tardiness. She scowled lightly.

"I was busy." She said shortly. "And Matt failed to mention how big Matsuda's fires were, let alone that there was more than one." Mello rolled his eyes and turned around. Why Roger had hired Matsuda was beyond him, but it wasn't a pressing issue for him at the moment. He glanced out of the window, but he was on the other side of the castle; as such, the window showed a busy street in town, and not his beloved ocean.

"Busy doing what?" He drawled, not really caring about what kept Halle occupied. Halle looked around, confusion tainting her face and voice.

"Huh..." She frowned. Mello turned to her in a flash, curious as to what had her looking so lost. "I was sure Matt would bring him out here..."

"Him?" Mello jumped up from his seat and grabbed Halle's shoulders roughly; though he was younger than her by quite a few years, he was tall enough to look her in the eye even though he was barefoot. His blue eyes met hers and were lit up in anticipation. "He's awake?"

XXXX

"So, we've been pretty much all over the castle." Matt looked at Nathaniel's blank eyes. The red head squinted at the paler boy, and Nathaniel held his gaze steadily. "And you haven't said one word yet." Nathaniel shrugged and looked away, finger tangling in his hair. Matt grabbed his hand and yanked it down, his face twitching slightly when Nathaniel turned and stared at him again. Feeling a bit weirded out by the empty stare, the red head let go of Nathaniel's hand quickly and kept walking. Feeling as though he'd done something wrong by wordlessly rejecting the red head's touch, Nathaniel reached forward and grabbed Matt's striped shirt by his elbow, holding the strange cloth firmly between his first finger and thumb. Matt stopped and stared at him, then shrugged and turned forward. "So, anyway, we're on our way to the- - -"

"Hey, look, it's the red-headed loser who always hangs out with Mello." They both stopped, Matt's body going tense underneath his fingertips. Nathaniel looked ahead of them to find a group of three in front of them before looking back at Matt. Matt was scowling, taking deep breaths with his fists clenched. Nathaniel hesitantly let go of Matt's arm, withdrawing and placing his finger in his hair again. He felt distinctly uncomfortable, but he was unable to glance away or even move from where he was standing to get help; Matt had been dragging him all over the castle at a fast pace and though it had gone from screaming agony to a dull roar, his legs were in more pain than he could ever have expected. All Nathaniel could do was watch as Matt prepared to face the three boys alone.

"What do you want?" The red head asked through clenched teeth. Something surprised Nathaniel- - -one moment, Matt was standing next to him, an annoyed look on his face and his fists clenched, ready to fight. The next, Matt was on the floor, clutching at his face and groaning quietly. Grateful that he had let go of Matt's arm when he did, Nathaniel moved to the side when one of the other boys jumped on Matt. Nathaniel grabbed onto a window ledge, the edge of the stone digging into his free palm while his other finger continued to twirl calmly through his hair. Another one of the boys joined in on the fight by jumping on Matt as well, though the third just shouted and kicked at Matt whenever he could. Nathaniel stared, horror growing inside his stomach and spreading outward; he'd never seen a fight before, not one like this. Blood was starting to fall freely down Matt's face and bruises were forming, but despite the commotion they were making the hallway remained empty. Nathaniel wasn't sure what he should do- - -should he join in, though it was more likely that rather than helping Matt, he would get injured as well? Should he run and get help? Who would he get to help, how would he get them to understand what was happening, if he couldn't speak? Inwardly, he was panicking, thoughts racing around his mind as he tried to think of a solution, but outwardly he couldn't do much but look around in the hopes that someone would come running.

XXXX

Halle and Mello both jumped when they heard something crash to the ground. Mello pulled away instinctively, flushing a slight red at the thought of being found so close to the older woman. A pained grunt followed shortly after the sound, and Mello remembered Matt. They looked at each other with wide eyes, worry starting to form in Mello's stomach for his red headed friend. Halle seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she didn't hesitate to turn and run out into the hallway; Mello followed her closely.

"Matt!" Mello stopped short of the group of four, who all stood up straight. The two on the floor were still scrambling up, pushing themselves up over a groaning pile with red hair- - -Matt. Blood coated their faces and clothes, dripping slightly off of their fingers as well.

"Mello-sama." They said together, bowing respectfully. Mello scowled darkly, making them all cower in fear.

"I thought I told you to stop picking on Matt." They exchanged guilty looks, not one of them looking back at the crumple red head trying to pick himself up off the floor. Mello shook his head, walking around them to pull Matt up. Matt grinned at him as they clasped hands.

"Thanks, Mels." Mello shook his head, pulling Matt up and dragging the red head behind him into the room. Matt turned around and stuck his tongue out at the three boys, snickering when they glared back spitefully. Halle looked to the side and saw Nathaniel leaning against the wall, blinking slowly and twirling his hair. She smiled kindly at him.

"Come on, dear." Halle said soothingly, holding her hand out to him. Nathaniel eyed the offered appendage wearily, his finger tightening and yanking a couple of strands of hair from his head; he didn't feel comfortable touching anyone, but he felt it would be rude to ignore her completely. Halle pursed her lips, but continued to hold out her hand in hopes that he would take it. "Mello would still want to talk to you." Nathaniel looked at her suddenly, his eyes still wide and blank, and Halle cringed back instinctively. He blinked once and walked around her, avoiding her hand.

Halle brought her hand to her side, following after him wearily.

XXXX

"What were you doing?" Mello snapped in annoyance. Matt coughed slightly in response, and Mello made a disapproving sound in the back of his throat. "Honestly, you're going mad, Matt!"

"It's not my fault." Matt coughed some more as Mello pushed him into the chair that he had vacated and wrinkled his nose. Mello sighed, using his arm to wipe off the blood that tricked down from Matt's temple.

"No?" He questioned lightly, rolling his eyes. "And whose fault is it? I told you not to go running around this place by yourself. You know that people think you shouldn't be here and resent you for it."

"I wasn't by myself." Matt muttered sullenly. "Honestly I'm not that stupid." Mello made an encouraging noise in the back of his throat and Matt realized that Mello didn't know that Nathaniel had woken up. "Oh, right!" Matt pulled away from Mello to look up at him, ignoring the blood that rushed down by his emerald eye. "Mels, that kid woke up."

"What?" Mello's face split open in a grin and without a second thought, he turned around. "Halle, you never said- - -" He turned at the same time Halle walked in, Nathaniel behind her. The boy was as pale as Mello remembered, though the whiteness of his hair stood out even more against the bright clothes Roger had ordered him to be dressed in. His eyes were pitch black and wide, looking around the room with disinterest before locking with Mello's blue. He stared at Nathaniel for a few seconds, taking him in and feeling his heart race at the thought of being able to talk to his savior. "Hey." Mello said softly, biting his lip in nervousness. Nathaniel blinked at him before looking around at the room they were in again, his eyes focused on the busy street.

Mello scowled.

"He doesn't talk, Mello." Halle interrupted, frustration in her voice. She continued speaking in the hopes of getting through to the blonde before he did or said something he would regret. "Nothing. And we don't know anything about him, Mello. No one is missing a small, pale boy of his description anywhere!" Mello looked Nathaniel over again, not listening to Halle at all. His face twitched slightly at the sight of so much color on the pale boy; he made a mental note to redesign Nathaniel's wardrobe so that he only had white clothes. Anything else on him looked too off.

Matt snickered, making the blonde realize he'd been staring at the pale boy for far too long; he flushed darkly, elbowing the laughing red head harshly. Matt coughed slightly, but stopped laughing, his smile not fading away. Licking his lips, Mello directed another question at Nathaniel.

"So, where ya from, kid?" Nathaniel looked at him again, then blinked and brought his hand to his hair, twirling slivery locks between his pale fingers. The blonde looked very similar to the first time he saw him, Nathaniel decided. He was wearing all black, a complete opposite to himself, though his feet were bare against the cold floor instead of laced up in his boots. Nathaniel's eye traced over Mello's blonde hair, framing his face in a way that wouldn't happen under the water, taking in the emotions on his face as they flickered across. Excitement that faded into confusion which was starting to bleed into anger...it was too much for Nathaniel, especially with the street just outside catching his interest. Mello frowned lightly as Nathaniel looked around again. "Hey."

"Mello," The blonde woman started exasperatedly, "he can't- - -" Mello cut across Halle again.

"Hey!" Nathaniel's black eyes locked on Mello's blue, blinking once at the loud volume of Mello's voice; the blonde had moved closer to ensure he'd gotten Nathaniel's attention. Mello glared at him, his face beginning to contort into a scowl at being ignored by the boy he'd saved. "Can you hear me?" Nathaniel nodded slowly, twining his hair around his finger so tightly strands were being pulled from his scalp. His legs, unnoticed in his new baggy pants, were beginning to shake from exertion. "All right, then. Where are you from?" Nathaniel looked up at the ceiling, his mind rushing to think of an explanation; something told him Mello wouldn't believe he came from the sea, and he hasn't the faintest idea what he could tell the blonde.

Perhaps he should have planned this with Kira and Misa a bit better.

"Mello- - -" Halle tried desperately.

"Quiet, Halle!" He snapped at her, making her step back slightly with a hurt look. Mello grabbed Nathaniel's chin and forced him to look at Mello again. Despite his tight grip, he made sure to gently pull Nathaniel's face down. He also took care to keep his hand slightly loose, so as not to leave any bruises on the boy's pale skin. "Can you talk at all, kid?" Nathaniel's eyes snapped back to Mello. Indignation flooded through his body, and he reacted instinctively.

'Of course I can!' was out before Nathaniel could think. 'I'm perfectly capable of talking if I chose.' Mello blinked at him and Nathaniel realized belatedly that no sound came out. His legs wobbled more noticeably, and his hand fell from his hair as he nearly hit the floor. Mello moved quickly, though, catching the boy's arms before he could hit the floor and keeping him standing. Nathaniel felt embarrassment course through his body and was extremely grateful that he couldn't blush the way he knew he would have. Nathaniel sighed inaudibly and shook his head slowly, fingers twirling his hair faster as he silently answered Mello's question.

"Ah, whatever." Mello frowned at him in confusion, though he made sure that Nathaniel wasn't about to fall again before he let go of the paler boy's arms. He pulled back and turned to Halle, all of a sudden hungrier than he could have anticipated. "I wanted lunch. Is the food done?"

"No." Halle scowled, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to the right. Her voice held the contempt she carried for Matsuda, which she would normally not reveal to anyone outside the servants quarters. "I have to go help Matsuda cook." Mello turned to Nathaniel again.

"You hungry, kid?" Hesitantly, Nathani nodded. Mello turned to Halle again.

"Halle- - -"

"I know, I know." She sighed. "Roger told me." Halle turned to look at the pale boy, gaining his attention. "Do you like crab, sweetie?" Nathaniel blinked a few times; crab? He liked crab well enough, he supposed. After all, he didn't mind Carter, even before the crab became the only connection he had to his home. Nathaniel was about to nod when he noticed Mello's hungry expression out of the corner of his eye, the blonde licking his lips in anticipation.

Oh. She meant to eat.

Nathaniel felt horror spike through his body; he wanted desperately to reject the idea, even nonverbally, but he couldn't imagine eating crab in any sort of way, shape, or form. He flailed inwardly, wondering how to respond in the negative before shaking his head violently. The muscles screamed at the movement, but Nathaniel continued his actions in the hope his message would get across.

"Whoa!" Mello rushed forward and placed his hands on either side of Nathaniel's face, stopping him. Nathaniel froze, his eyes wide and yet dead at the same time; Mello offered a comforting smile, his thumbs creating a soothing caress on Nathaniel's porcelain cheeks. "Ok, ok, no crab." He promised. "No crab." Nathaniel stared back at Mello, blinking. The blonde's comfort was startling, and it sent a wave of affection coursing through his body. Nathaniel reached up slowly and placed his hands gently on top of his. Mello smiled lightly before turning to Halle. "Matsuda's Japanese, right?"

"Yea?" Halle frowned, tilting her head and not following where Mello's train of thought was going.

"See if he can make some sushi, then." Mello said, moving past Nathaniel and walking towards the door. Nate stared wordlessly at Mello, shock coursing his body, his mouth open. Sushi...sushi was raw fish, if Nathaniel remembered correctly. Sushi wasn't any better than crab! Nathaniel closed his mouth resignedly, not sure of anything he could do to convince the blonde to change his mind. Matt, however, made a retching sound as he pushed past Nathaniel. Mello looked back at him and frowned. "Got something to say, kid?" Sighing inaudibly, Nathaniel shook his head.

XXXX

"He's a strange kid." Matt said absently, both of them watching Nathaniel walk in the waist-deep water on the beach. The pale boy had eagerly followed the two boys down to the beach, occasionally stumbling as if he wasn't used to so much movement of his legs. Once they had touched upon the sand, however, Nathaniel seemed to have lost control on himself completely; he'd fallen to the ground, as if he hadn't been able to hold himself up any longer. He refused both Mello and Matt's help, choosing instead to drag himself forward slowly until he reached the water. Once Nathaniel had gone in the water, a tension seemed to leave his body. He relaxed for a long moment in the shallow water, allowing his legs to immerse themselves under the water as the waves lapped at his waist; he didn't seem to care that he'd ruined his clothes, and after a long moment Nathaniel had gone further out into the water. He seemed to regain control of his legs as he did so, walking parallel to the sandy beach, and the two boys followed his pace on the sand. Occasionally, they glanced at him to be sure that he hadn't fallen.

Mello did so now, watching Nathaniel trail his fingers in the waist deep water.

"He is." Mello agreed finally, reluctantly pulling his gaze away from Nathaniel to the sand. He unwrapped a chocolate bar without looking, stowing away the wrapper and the foil in his pocket. "Did you see the way he reacted to the idea of seafood? He didn't even touch any of the sushi Matsuda made!" Mello took a violent bite of his chocolate bar, his eyes sliding to his right to inspect Nathaniel again.

"He really loves the water, doesn't he?" Matt asked, abruptly changing the subject as he turned to Mello. The blonde scowled at Matt's quick changed, but allowed it with a snort; his new visitor didn't seem to like raw fish any more than Matt did. Instead, he plopped down on the sand, tired of walking. Matt followed suit, laying down and sprawling out as much as he could. Mello snorted at the thought of all the sand embedding itself in the bright red hair, and refrained from laying down himself. "And we found him here, right? Could he be a shipwreck survivor?"

"We dunno." Mello sighed, leaning back on his hands. He slowly blew out a long stream of air, making his bangs flutter. They haven't even had him for a full day, but the lack of information on the pale boy was driving Mello insane. They had no clue how old he was, where he came from, or even what his name was. It didn't even seem like anyone was looking for him. "It's probable, because he hasn't been reported missing here or anything, but he won't..." Mello's voice trailed off as he turned slightly and stared at the water intently. Before Matt could open his mouth, the blonde was already jumping to his feet, grateful he hadn't bothered to put his shoes on. "Hey. HEY!" Mello jumped into the water, Matt following instinctively behind him, when Nathaniel went under the water and didn't come back up.

Nathaniel had heard Mello and Matt talking, but kept his eyes on the water. He figured he was the topic they were discussing, so he ignored them as best he could and continued walking.

The water was soothing to his legs, and Nathaniel gratefully allowed the excuse to keep away from Matt and Mello. He was completely humiliated about his display, mortified that he had lost control of his body so easily. It had been his damaged pride that refused help from the other two, and Nathaniel wanted nothing more than to duck under the water and never come back up.

Kira never told him about the pain it would cause him to walk, or that the people on land would eat fish for food. Though, to be honest, Nathaniel thought he remembered Carter mentioning something about the latter point, though he couldn't recall it properly at the moment. His free hand rose to tangle in his hair- - -

Something under the water caught his eye and before he could think twice, Nathaniel took in a deep breath and dove under the water. His legs buckled under him, and he drew them to his chest as he slowly sank down from the sudden lack of support. Floating for a few seconds, Nathaniel felt calm slowly take over his body as he looked around and managed to find what caught his attention.

A dark amber color blurred in front of him as Nathaniel suddenly remembered he was holding his breath and couldn't breath. His vision began to blur and his lungs felt like they were about to pop; stubbornly, he stayed under to try and make out what it was.

His arm was grabbed suddenly and he was yanked backwards. Pain shot up from his shoulder, surprising Nathaniel into opening his mouth and taking in the salty sea water. Coughing, taking deep breaths, Nathaniel turned to face a drenched Mello, Matt wading into the water behind him.

"What on earth were you thinking?" Mello hissed, his hands tight on Nathaniel's arms. The pale boy wince and subtly squirmed to get out of the harsh grip, but Mello didn't seem to notice his efforts; instead, the blonde began dragging him back to shore. Matt stared at the water distrustfully, reaching out and helping Mello when they were close enough to the red head. The three of them moved together, stumbling due to waterlogged clothes, and collapsed on the shoreline of the beach.

They lay flat on the sand, Mello no longer caring about keeping sand from his hair, the blonde and Nathaniel panting to regain their breath.

"Well?" Nathaniel's eyes traveled to the water, ignoring the irked blonde. He recognized the merperson tail, and the unique coloring of the amber tail.

'Lawliet...' He mouthed softly, feeling an intense longing to go back with his older brother. Nathaniel sat up slowly and stared with wide eyes at the lapping water, his finger losing itself in his drenched white locks. Mello frowned at him, leaning up on his elbows.

"Let's get you back inside." He muttered finally, picking Nathaniel up easily and walking in the direction of the castle. Matt followed, glancing back distrust fully at the churning water.

XXXX

He knew he had been spotted, and he knew who it was that spotted him. Thankful that it wasn't one of the humans that had seen him, he flipped under the water with a practiced ease, wondering if Nathaniel was still watching him. Taking deep breaths through his nose, he turned and swam away, in the direction of the underwater kingdom Nathaniel once resided in.

"Nate," He mused quietly, swimming easily around fish and rocks. As he passed by a familiar cave, he stopped and placed his hand sorrowfully on the stone entrance. The rock felt cool against his hand; there was an air of familiarity about the position, as if it were a regular occurrence before this moment. "Nathaniel, what have you done?"

He surged forward suddenly, power and speed in his movements as he remembered what was happening above the water surface. The palace appeared in his sight, not too far from Nathaniel's hiding place, and he raced past Takada and Naomi in his haste. The girls cried out, warning Gevanni to move before being knocked out of the way. In surprise, they watched as he ignored everyone in favor of explaining what he'd found on the shore.

Wammy sighed after he finished explaining, placing his head in his hands.

"Are you sure, Lawliet?" He asked quietly, anguish in his voice at losing one of his youngest.

"About 95.7% sure." Lawliet answered, placing his finger in his mouth. His dark eyes watched as the old man broke down in his throne, his wrinkled hands running through the white hair that resembled Nathaniel's. Lawliet waited for Wammy to collect himself again, worrying his thumbnail in his mouth as his mind raced with the possibilities.

"Can you bring him back?"

"I'm not sure." Lawliet admitted reluctantly, removing his thumb to speak clearly. "I could try, however. Do I have your permission to do anything that I may need to?" Wammy sighed again, rubbing his temples and considering the gravity of the situation they had found themselves in.

"Yes." He said after a few seconds. His voice was heavy with the weight of what he had just agreed to; he prayed that, whatever happened, nothing too drastic happened in bringing back Nathaniel. "Bring him back."

XXXX

"How are things going, Nate?" Misa asked, leaning her arms against the sand. The sun was setting, and Nathaniel had somehow managed to sneak away from the watchful eyes of Mello and Matt. He had gone back down to the beach, and Misa and Kira had broken the surface of the water to visit him.

He shrugged one shoulder as an answer to Misa's question and started drawing in the sand with his finger. Misa chewed her lip worriedly and glanced over at Kira, imploring him with her gaze.

"Here, little brother." Kira brought out the box Nathaniel had seen by his vat, the one that held his voice in it. Opening it carefully, Nathaniel blinked at him when he felt his voice crawl down his throat and settle right into its vacated space.

"My voice was a payment for my wish." He stated instantly; curious, Nathaniel tried to raise an eyebrow only to find that his face still couldn't move. Kira laughed slightly, brushing his hair back from his face.

"We wanna know how you're doing, kid." He said. "You can talk to us, at least, so we can keep an eye on your progress. No worries. So, how was your first day?"

"I believe Lawliet saw me today." Nathaniel said softly, twirling his hair. His finger twirled nervously in his salt crusted hair, while his other hand moved his sand drawing into the water. Kira's eyes narrowed as Nathaniel spoke.

"Ehhh?" Misa sat up quickly, splashing water on both Kira and Nathaniel, looking at her brother with worry in her eyes. Kira made a sound of surprise, wiping water droplets off his face, but Nathaniel made no move to do anything.

"I saw something that looked like Lawliet earlier today." Nathaniel repeated, feeling ominous at the shared look of horror between the blonde mermaid and her lover. Not wanting to speculate on what seeing Lawliet would mean for everyone, Nathaniel sighed before changing the subject to something much more important to him. "It hurts to walk, Kira." Kira winced apologetically, his face contorting when Misa screeched in his ear.

"Yea, I know, little brother. Nothing I can do about that."

"Is this pain common in humans?" Nathaniel questioned softly. Kira shook his head, contemplating the reason behind Nathaniel's pain.

"I know at times, it hurts them to move." Kira murmured. "But that's usually because of over exertion or injury, neither of which apply to you." They fell into silence for a moment. "I think it's cause you're not human." He said finally. "You know, you're just learning how to walk." Nathaniel drew his hand out of the water, dragging it across the sand. Kira was about to say more when they heard someone yelling on the beach.

"Someone's coming!" Misa gasped, pushing herself off the sand and into the water.

"Open, little brother, quickly!" Kira opened the box, and Nathaniel obeyed; he was surprise at how easily his voice left his throat again. Kira smiled. "Told you it'd be fine. Good luck, little brother."

Before Nathaniel could protest, Kira and Misa were gone.

* * *

All right, chapter 9. XD

so, this chapter...differs...a bit from how things went in the actual movie... haha...

emo-nerdy-insane-writer: that is true, Ursula=bad. and its true that Kira=Ursula. XD but at the moment, Kira does not necessarily = bad. XD


	10. Chapter 9: Kiss the Boy

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Mello found Nathaniel staring at the water blankly. His body sagged slightly in relief, and he willed his heart to stop its panicked racing as the blonde approached Nathaniel slowly from behind. He debated on calling Matt and telling them to stop searching, that he'd found their unexpected visitor and he was, in fact, still alive; but he didn't want to alert Nathaniel to his presence just yet.

The moonlight he was crouched under made Nathaniel look whiter, though it wasn't a bad thing. Whereas under the sun, the pale boy looked bleached out and faded, the moon's glow brought out the stark contrast of the boy against his dark background; his white hair and pale skin gleamed brightly, making him look as if he was glowing. Mello stopped silently just a few feet away from him, watching as Nathaniel traced his fingers in the water. The boy was so expressionless, Mello knew something was wrong with him. Not in the way that Nathaniel was emotionally dysfunctional, like Matt thought, but in a 'lost in the middle of nowhere with no familiar face in sight' way. It created this weird feeling in Mello's chest, like he wanted to help the pale boy with no voice and no feelings. The only frustrating part was that there was no way he could; Nathaniel, so far, made no attempt to help them locate where he could be from.

Though the way he was around the ocean could be a link between him and Mello. There was a longing to be close to the water, not in Nathaniel's face, but in the way he would return to the ocean again and again.

"Hey, kid." He said with a sigh, finally dropping down next to him. Nathaniel slowly turned his head and looked at him with his wide, black eyes. Mello noted that in the night, with his ethereal glow from the moon, his eyes looked like endless pools of black. He looked haunting, but Mello couldn't help but see the beauty in the face beside him. "You're out here again?" Wordlessly, Nate nodded slowly. "Even with what happened earlier?" Nathaniel stopped nodding, looking down and tracing his finger in the sand. The blonde realize that Nathaniel hasn't even bathed, though he'd changed clothes; he wore white pajamas, big and baggy on his thin frame, but his hair was still stiff with salt. Mello let out a soft chuckle. "You really love the water then, huh?"

Nathaniel shrugged one shoulder in response. Mello sighed again, watching him out of the corner of his eye. "Could you talk?" Nathaniel turned his attention to the blonde again, glancing up at him from the corner of his eye as well. His eye met Mello's and he ducked his head again. "Before, I mean." Tilting his head to the side, Nathaniel nodded. Mello tilted his head back, looking up at the star studded sky. "Wonder what happened, then..." He muttered. Without warning, Mello stood up, grabbing Nathaniel's arm and pulling him up as well. The pale boy scrambled to his feet unwillingly, having no choice but to follow after the much stronger blonde. "Come on." Mello said, dragging Nathaniel by his arm. He pulled Nathaniel easily back into the castle, by passing a frantic Halle with a simple nod. She visibly relaxed, moving at a brisk pace in the opposite direction. Nathaniel watched her with disinterest before returning his attention to Mello. "You gotta get some rest. Roger says we're supposed to take you out to see the rest of this place tomorrow." Nathaniel blinked and nodded, following Mello to the room he was given.

He entered, but Mello's hand tightened on his arm and prevented him from going too far into the room. Turning, Nathaniel brought his free hand up into his hair. The blonde smiled, an excited gleam in his blue eyes.

"I know sign language." He confessed quietly. Nathaniel leaned forward a bit, feeling like Mello was sharing some secret based on how quietly he was talking. He wanted to be the only one privy to the information the blonde gave him, despite being the only one in the room Mello could possibly be sharing with.

What was sign language?

"It's a language spoken with your hands." Mello had gone on explaining, as if he knew Nathaniel wouldn't understand the concept right away. As if to further his explanation, Mello's hand drifted down and grabbed a hold of Nathaniel's, tightening gently. "Tomorrow, I could teach you. And you can talk to me, at the very least."

Nathaniel's heart leaped in his chest, setting a thunderous pace. His legs wavered slightly, and his lips parted slightly. His finger stopped in his hair, and he could barely contain himself enough to give a small nod in response. Mello's smile, if anything, grew brighter in his silent agreement. The blonde bit his lip, his hand shaking Nathaniel's once; his teeth were not enough to keep his smile from growing, though, and Mello let out a small laugh.

"Excellent." He breathed quietly. Nathaniel nodded once again. "Well, then, we'll start tomorrow. Til then," the blonde glanced around once before leaning forward a bit, pressing a quick kiss to Nathaniel's cheek. The pale boy put his hand on the spot, the whole area feeling warm as Mello pulled away. "Good night, kid."

Nathaniel watched as he walked away before closing the door and leaning back on it. His eyes closed, and his face filled with a slight pain as a smile tried to break out on his face. Taking a deep breath, Nathaniel slid his feet forward and silently clambered into bed, ignoring Carter's questions on what Mello wanted.

XXXX

Matt pulled Nathaniel down the street, pointing out things to the bewildered boy. Nathaniel's gaze moved from the bakery to the librarian to a flower shop to the little girl who liked to chase Matt and give him flowers. His mind was racing from the information overload the red head was piling on him, and his legs had gone numb from the fast pace Matt had set up for them. Mello was following almost lazily behind, keeping a watchful eye on his best friend and visitor while they made their way through the town; Nathaniel was envious of the ease between the two boys, determined to have the same with the blonde.

At the moment, though, he could barely keep up with Matt, and was in a dire need of a rest. Matt's hand had slipped from his arm again, and without him as an anchor, Nathaniel had too much speed on his own; he'd tripped over a loose stone and hit the ground, landing on his already sore elbow.

"Matt, he can't keep up with you." Mello laughed, helping Nathaniel up for the third or fourth time. Nathaniel touched the inside of Mello's wrist in gratitude, and the blonde smiled down at him. They hadn't had a chance to get away, or be alone long enough for the blonde to begin teaching Nathaniel sign language like he'd promised. They had been with others at breakfast, and Matt had volunteered to come with them to explore.

Ahead of them, Matt laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, sorry." He said, smiling. Just as he was about to continue, a group of kids nearby had caught Matt's attention and invited him to play a game with them; without waiting, the red head ran over to play. Mello shook his head at his overexcited antics, still laughing, and put his arm around Nathaniel's waist when he started to sway slightly.

"You all right, kid?" Nathaniel nodded, eyes blank as he took in the rest of the kingdom. He hasn't expected it to be so big; it hadn't looked so from his vantage point in the water. It was tiring trying to keep up, let alone with Matt's inability to slow down for him.

That was without the rush that came from being in the place he'd wanted to see for so long. Nathaniel was doing his best to remember everything he saw, heard, felt, smelled...it was a major overload to all his senses, and despite the headache he could feel pounding in his head, Nathaniel couldn't remember a time he'd ever been happier. As Matt rejoined them, then saw something else and went ahead of them, pointing out other things, Mello tugged Nathaniel's arm. Nathaniel turned to look at him, and his thoughts slowed.

Mello was beautiful in the light, with the sun at his crown lighting his vibrant blonde hair like a halo. The blonde was warm and alive in a matter similar to the sun, his heat racing from his body to Nathaniel's where they were touching. Nathaniel felt his heart stutter and stop at Mello's deep blue eyes boring into his own, his breath catch in his throat as Mello's tan fingers traced down his arm to his hand.

"Come with me." Mello whispered, tugging his hand. Bewildered, but not able to show it, Nathaniel followed Mello; he missed the warmth that had coated his side where Mello had been pressed against him. Grinning, Mello brought Nathaniel to a boat. "Get in, kid." Nathaniel glanced at him before stepping in, wincing inwardly at the pain in his legs and the unsteady rocking of the boat. The other boat wasn't as unsteady, was it? Nathaniel couldn't remember; it was much bigger than this tiny thing, that was for sure. Mello followed him in easily, pushing them off the harbor and into the water.

"It doesn't exactly go all the way to the ocean." Mello explained as he began rowing the boat. Nathaniel clutched at the edges, his heart pounding in his chest at the movement. Mello paused momentarily to place his hand comfortingly on Nathaniel's. Wide black eyes met his and Mello smiled comfortingly. "It takes us to this little lagoon or something. It connects to the ocean, but we can't actually go that far. Sound good?" Nathaniel nodded hesitantly, pulling one knee up to his chest and placing his hand in his hair to twirl his hair. Mello squeezed his other hand one more time before pulling back to continue rowing. This time, Nathaniel was prepared for the movement and it didn't startle him as much.

Matt seemed to realize that they were missing, and started calling for them. Biting his lip, the blonde motioned for Nathaniel to be silent. Amusement spiked through his body when he realized Mello was joking with him, and Nathaniel longed to be able to share in the blonde's wide smiles. Mello grinned back, wide enough for the both of them, and was so busy rowing he didn't notice the crab slipping off Nathaniel's shirt where he had been hiding and into the water.

XXXX

"What's going on?" Misa asked quietly. Carter made a 'shh'ing noise and pointed. With Kira next to her, they peered up to see the two boys in the boat. It was only too obvious who they were, though what they were doing was less obvious; it looked like Mello had Nathaniel's hands in his own. Every now and then, the blonde would lean back and examine the position of Nathaniel's fingers before reaching forward and touching again. Misa grinned in excitement, clapping her hands under the water. Carter shot her a glare that she pointedly ignored, spinning around and giggling. "What are you gonna do?"

"We gotta create a mood." Carter hissed. Misa turned to him, confusion tracing its way on her pretty features.

"A mood?" She asked, realization dawning on her as Carter began putting his plan in order. He nodded distractedly.

"Percussion." The percussion started, startling both Nathaniel and Mello; both boys glanced around briefly before returning their attention to each other. Mello was audibly voicing his confusion, but Nathaniel could do nothing but scan the water for a solution. "Strings. Winds."

"Words." Misa said. Kira wrapped his arms around her and she leaned back, smiling brightly up at him. The mermale smiled serenely back, his fingers tracing her side absentmindedly. Carter nodded at her, turning to leave the two alone.

"There you see him, sitting there across the way." He started, pulling himself out of the water and sitting on the wooden edge behind Mello. Nathaniel's eyes zeroed in on him right away, something the blonde didn't notice, and Carter bit back the shudder that went through him when Nathaniel's empty eyes met his. "He don't got a lot to say, but there's something about him. And you don't know why, but you're dying to try- - -You wanna kiss the boy." He slipped silently back in the water just as Mello turned around, a dark scowl painting itself on his features.

"What the hell... " The blonde muttered in aggravation, his hand reaching down and grabbing a hold onto the abandoned oar. Mello turned back to Nathaniel. "You hear that?" He asked Nathaniel. Nathaniel shrugged slightly, but was inwardly amused at Carter's idea of 'help'. His dark eyes glanced to the water beside them, unknown to Mello. Carter groaned in annoyance before looking up. A familiar crow caught his eye; he was flying in lazy circles in the sky, but swooped down long enough for the crab to climb on.

"Yes, you want him." Carter started again, from on top of Beyond this time. Nathaniel glanced up and got a wink from Carter, which made him bite his lip slightly. Mello looked up as well, but was unable to find anything out of the ordinary. "Look at him, you know you do. Possible he wants you too, there is one way to ask him. It don't take a word, not a single word- - -Go on and kiss the boy." He jumped into the water, running into a shaking Quarter Queen. Carter backpedaled a bit, staring in shock at the angelfish in front of him.

"What's going on?" She asked rather loudly, her voice catching due to fear; she'd never been this close to the surface without Nathaniel. Carter made a 'shh'ing gesture with his hand.

"Sing with me, now." He said. Stunned, but still confused, Quarter Queen followed his lead.

"Sha la la la la la, my oh my. Look like the Prince too shy, ain't gonna kiss the boy. Sha la la la la la, Ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame?" A whole group sang, seemingly appearing from nowhere. It brought a gleeful smile to Misa's face and calmed Quarter Queen down but Carter shook his head dejectedly.

"Too bad, he gonna miss the boy." He said softly, Quarter looking at him confused. Carter motioned for her to go further underwater and he followed, telling her of everything that had transpired in the past two days.

While he filled her in, Mello started talking to Nathaniel.

"I can't call you 'kid' all the time, y'know." Nathaniel tilted his head to the side, staring unblinkingly at Mello. Mello sighed heavily and stopped searching for the disturbance for a moment. "You don't know enough sign language to tell me your name yet, but I can't keep calling you 'kid' forever." Mello rubbed his jaw in thought. After a few seconds, he locked eyes with Nathaniel again. "Do you know who Near is?" Nathaniel blinked.

'Near?' He mouthed silently, completely confused. The pale boy wracked his mind, trying to remember if he had ever heard of any merperson with the name 'Near'. He couldn't think of anyone, though he carefully went over every single merperson he knew. After a long few seconds, he shook his head. Mello shrugged.

"There's a story people tell their kids." He said. His finger traced the wooden edge of the boat nervously, and Nathaniel watched the movement in fascination, almost unconsciously mimicking the movement by curling his hair around his finger. "It's about an underwater kingdom, and merpeople." Nathaniel wanted to snicker- - -people thought that they were just _stories_? The very idea of their supposed non-existence would have been insulting if it wasn't so funny. He wondered briefly on how far humans must have evolved from their sea roots, but abandoned the though as soon as the blonde opened his mouth. Mello continued. "Some of the most-told ones are about King Watari, and his family."

Watari? Nathaniel was even more confused now- - -he had never heard of this Watari, and it put him on edge slightly. Wammy had sole control of the ocean, though Nathaniel knew of other kings and kingdoms of merpeople. The ocean was quite big, but as long as the other kingdoms kept to themselves, there was no reason for any worry. Merpeople were generally well behaved and gentle folk.

However, for such a story to be local meant that this Watari was close by, much too close for Nathaniel's liking. The pale boy made a note to bring such information up with Misa and Kira when he spoke to them next; peaceful though the merfolk may be, a battle for kingdoms was always a possibility. Nathaniel tore out a few strands of hair, pulling his finger away from his head to stare impassively at it. Mello, still talking, didn't notice.

"You look like the youngest son, Near. He was pale like you are." He looked at Nathaniel, his full attention on the boy once more. Nathaniel wasn't paying attention to him, and Mello reached out to place his hand on Nathaniel's. The pale boy's head didn't move, but his black eyes flickered up to meet Mello's blue. "Would it be all right if I called you Near? I don't think I'll be able to get your name any other way any time soon. Besides, you act like him a lot- - -all silent and emotionless."

There were no other mermales like him, Nathaniel knew, even if he was human at the current moment. Still, the description and name sounded completely foreign to him. He loathed being known to Mello by another's name, but he also saw the point the blonde was making; he couldn't speak his name, and the sign language alphabet Mello was teaching him was surprisingly hard to learn. He hadn't realized that his vocabulary was so different from a human's, and his hands were clumsy despite his ability to handle his objects with care. After a few seconds of confused musing, Nathaniel managed to nod. Mello smiled.

It was that moment that Carter came up, continuing the only bit of 'help' he could manage to offer.

"Now's your moment." He crooned romantically. "Floating in a blue lagoon." Mello looked around, confused a bit. Nathaniel glanced to the side, surprise filling his body when Quarter Queen followed, providing a gentle back up with her voice. Guilt consumed him as he realized he had left his best friend out of the loop, but it was assuaged when she sent a subtle wink his way. "Son, you better do it soon. No time will be better." Nathaniel turned his attention back to Mello, who was still glancing around suspiciously. Slowly, almost uncertainly, Nathaniel inched his hand forward to cover Mello's. "He don't say a word, and he won't say a word until you kiss the boy." He froze, his hand inches from the blonde's; the words had blindsided him. Pulling his hand back, Nathaniel ignored the flare of pain around his eyes as he forced them to roll- - -Carter just _had_ to add that part, didn't he?

"Sha la la la la la, don't be scared. You got the mood prepared, go on and kiss the boy. Sha la la la la la, don't stop now. Don't try to hide it how you want to kiss the boy." He had gained an entire chorus, the pale boy noted dimly; even Beyond Birthday had joined in, albeit somewhat reluctantly. The crow was caught in the hands of Misa, who had broken surface and stayed hidden in the shadows. Her clear voice rang out, as did Carter's, Quarter's, and Beyond's- - -a side effect of being around them for such a long part of his life, he supposed.

Nathaniel watched the assortment of fish that seemed to be visible only to him; his gaze landed on Carter briefly before the crab motioned to his right. With a soft sigh, he glanced at Mello to find the blonde staring at him. They locked eyes, onyx black on sapphire blue, and Nathaniel felt something catch in his throat. "Sha la la la la la, float along. And listen to the song, the song say kiss the boy." Nathaniel noticed that each word brought them closer together, their movements almost trance-like.

From the side, Misa watched, her hands grasping Kira's hopefully. Beyond Birthday had escaped her grasp, but didn't fly too far away. He sat in the tree, head tilted to the side as his crimson eyes kept a wary watch. Carter smiled, knowing his plan was working and that Nathaniel would be 'normal' again. "Sha la la la la, the music play. Do what the music say, you got to kiss the boy. You've got to kiss the boy." They were close enough that Nathaniel shut his eyes, heart thumping against his chest violently. Mello's hand traced a simple pattern on Nathaniel's face, causing his heart to stutter in its violent race. "You wanna kiss the boy. You've gotta kiss the boy. Go on and kiss the boy..." He reached forward as well, twining a few strands of sun kissed hair between his fingers. The blonde sighed quietly, though he didn't move to stop Nathaniel. Just as Nathaniel felt Mello's breath on his lips...

...the boat tipped over.

"Whoa!" Mello yelled as he went to one side, Nathaniel went the other. The shock of the water was enough to immobilize the both of them.

"Whaaaaa-?" Misa yelled. Kira ducked under the water, Misa following a split second behind, her brown eyes searching out Nathaniel. She automatically moved to dart forward before Kira grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth. His eyes, instead of watching the two boys, looked through the water around them. Something, someone, was there to prevent the two from kissing, and Kira was sure that he didn't want whoever it was to find him and Misa. Whispering in the blonde's ear, he dragged her back into the shadows under the water. Carter hit his face with his hand, following the two as he cursed the interference.

Nathaniel sank under the water.

The water was cool around him, silent and peaceful. It soaked his white clothes, the pajamas that he had worn the night before and hadn't bothered changing out of before they left the palace. The water weight dragged him down a bit further than he would have otherwise sunk, but it didn't bother Nathaniel until he felt a shift in the water around him. Opening his eyes to look around, something caught his eye, and he turned instantly to it.

"I didn't think- - -I mean..." The mermale in front of him sighed, rubbing his temples. Nathaniel wished that he could scowl as darkly as Mello, rage filling his veins and causing his heart to race faster than ever before; he had been so close! "What on earth are you doing, Nathaniel? How could you do something like this? Why?" Nathaniel opened his mouth to respond, forgetting that he couldn't speak, forgetting that he couldn't _breath_, and started choking as sea water rushed down his throat.

'Mikami...' He thought angrily, hands flying forward and covering his mouth. As an extra measure, Nathaniel made sure to plug his nose as well; he didn't want to take the chance of having the salt water burn its way up his nose. Mikami darted towards him, clearly concerned, but Nathaniel freed a hand and waited for the darker haired mermale to get close enough to hit. He'd been so close, _so close_, and this idiot's foolishness had ruined it for him.

"Nathaniel!" The pale boy shook his head, swinging wildly when Mikami managed to get close. He didn't land a hit, but the other mermale drew back as if he had; his face contorted in betrayal, and Nathaniel felt his rage intensify. How _dare_ he feel betrayed when Nathaniel could have broken this curse at this very moment. Mello was caught, he was entranced, they could have kissed; the pale boy could still feel the warmth of Mello's lips, the gentleness of his fingertips against his cheek, Mello's soft hair. They had been so close, but Mikami stopped it with one simple act. Nathaniel drew his arm back to try hitting the older mermale again, but stopped when he felt someone grab his arm. Mikami swam back, propelling himself backwards with fluid movements using his arms and his tail, then disappeared.

Nathaniel turned to face Mello as the blonde pulled his head above the water.

"You all right, Near?" Mello asked. Blinking a few times, he nodded slowly. Mello smiled. "Good." He pulled him up to stand, and Nathaniel made his way through the chest-deep water to the over turned boat. Together, they pushed the boat upright. Nathaniel stood by the boat until the blonde wrapped his arms around his waist and easily picked him up. He turned his head to the side as Mello placed him carefully in the boat, then climbed in after him. They sat in silence, just floating in the water, for a long moment. Nathaniel watched water drip from Mello's blonde strands while the other boy decided on what to do. He seemed to be battling with himself, emotions racing across his face faster than Nathaniel could read. Then Mello sighed, shaking his head. "Come on, let's go back."

* * *

All right, chapter 10. XD so close! and still, so far...originally, Lawliet was going to over turn the boat, but then my sister was like, 'no, L cant do that!' so i made it Mikami instead. XD

methegirl: you have to wait and find out. XP here's the difference between 'Near' and 'Nate', though. haha, humans are stupid sometimes.

emo-nerdy-insane-writer: i think from this point on, it won't follow the movie, if only because Nate was smart and realized it might take more than three days to get what he wants.

the munch: does it really mean that much to have Matsuda as Chef Louis? XD


	11. Chapter 10: Les Poissons

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"Nate, you were so close!" Misa wailed. "So close! What happened?"

"Mikami." Nate answered, covering his eyes.

"Ehhh?" She shook her head. "Misa-Misa doesn't understand! How would Mikami know?"

"Lawliet probably told him." Nate muttered. Misa scowled.

"Ohhh, that...that..." She shook her head. "That...that sea-cake eating, interfereing pervert!" Kira and Nate turned to her, both of them surprised. She looked at them.

"Sea-cake eating..." Kira started. Nate looked at her.

"Interfereing pervert?" Misa shrugged.

"Couldn't think of anything else." She said. "Anyway, why do you think Lawliet sent Mikami?"

"Lawliet has probably been told to bring me back." He said, shrugging, trailing his fingers in the water. "To return me to the sea."

"We'll help as much as we can, little brother." Kira promised. "We won't let them do anything. You just focus on kissing Mello, ok?"

"Oi! Near!" Near tilted his head and Kira pulled the box out.

"Open, hurry, little brother." Nate opened his mouth and felt his voice leave him again. Kira and Misa dove under the water just as Mello came around the bend.

"Come on, Near." Mello smiled. "Halle managed to help Matsuda make a castle specialty---sauteed angelfish." Nate felt slight panic course through his body as he glanced at the water.

'Quarter Queen, be safe...' He mouthed, following Mello.

LMMN

"I'm sorry, Lawliet." Mikami sighed, shaking his head. "That brat grabbed Nathaniel." Lawliet rubbed his face before placing his thumb in his mouth.

"It is quite all right, Mikami." He said slowly. He sat on his bed, frowning, thinking hard. "We need to get Nathaniel back somehow...but how?"

LMMN

A few days later (well, it was four days after Nate became human---that meant about four days of hearing Halle mutter about 'Damn Matsuda, can't do anything right', four days of hanging with Mello and Matt) Misa was glaring up at the castle, her arms crossed.

"It's nothing, Misa-Misa." Nate tried.

"Misa-Misa's tail it's nothing!" She cried in response. "Misa-Misa _saw_ her, Nate! Saw her pull up in that floofy...PINK thing that looks ridiculous!"

"Calm down, Misa." Kira said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Who is she, Nate?"

"Her name is Yagami Sayu." Nate said softly. "She recently lost her brother, and Roger---"

"Why is she here, Nate?" Misa interrupted.

"Roger wants Mello to marry." Nate looked down at the water, sighing slightly. "Mello wants to meet the person who saved him first...but Roger believes Mello is making excuses and insists."

"They have to know you saved him!" Misa said. "You're the only one who's so white!"

"Mello and Matt believe I saved him because of that." Nate said softly. "However, it hinders them that I cannot speak." Kira looked away, frowning.

"Does it now...?" He questioned softly. It was quiet for a few seconds.

"NEAR!!!!" Nate tilted his head towards Mello's voice.

"Here he comes!" Misa cried, ducking under the water. Nate blinked, then turned to Kira, opening his mouth---

"Keep it, little brother." Kira hissed. "You're running out of time."

"But---"

"I'll change the deal a little." Kira smiled. "No one will know. Now, as always, stay safe, little brother." He winked at Nate's dropped jaw and disappeared, just as Mello came into view.

LMMN

Matsuda...was not as stupid as he looked. Really, he wasn't. He was just...very eager to prove himself. That resulted in a lot of his mistakes.

Like the several fires that had occured around five days ago (it still made Matsuda blush). Now, see, that really wasn't his fault. Honestly. He would---

Ok, so trying to cook five things at once wasn't the best idea. Maybe.

But this one was the final straw---at least, for the blonde woman who hired him, Halle Lidner.

Halle was currently standing in the doorway to the destroyed kitchen, not wincing even when all the china (and all means ALL---even the centuries-old ones) came crashing to the floor. She just covered her eyes, placing her free hand on her hip as she leaned against the door frame.

"Care to explain, Mr. Matsuda?" She asked, a deathly calm tone in her voice. Matsuda sighed heavily as he thought about the event that led to this disaster.

LMMN

"Les poissons, les poissons." Matsuda sang under his breath, preparing the crab that would be today's lunch with vigor. He failed to notice the crab staring at him with a horrorfied look on his face. "How I love les poissons. Love to chop, and to serve little fish. First I cut off their heads, then I pull out the bones. Ah mais oui," He stumbled a little over the words (hey, he's Japanese, not French---cut him some slack). "Ca c'est toujours delish. Les poissons, les poissons, hee hee hee, hah hah hah, with the cleaver I hack them in two." Matsuda was really glad he was the only one cooking at the moment---he felt a little silly singing what he was about to do to crabs. "I pull out what's inside, and I serve it up fried. God, I love little fishes---don't you?"

"Here's something for tempting the palate, prepared in the classic technique." He slammed something down on the fish hard. " First you pound the fish flat with a mallet, then you slash through the skin. Give the belly a slice---" Matsuda grabbed salt, pulling the fish up by his face and grinning at it. "Then you rub some salt in, 'cause that makes it taste nice..." He put the fish down instantly when some thing clattered behind him. "Hmm?" He turned.

"Eep!" Carter cowered while Matsuda walked over, picking him up.

"Zut alors," Matsuda enunciated carefully, "I have missed one!" Carter closed his eyes thinking 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die because of that boy, I'm gonna die!'

"Sacre bleu, what is this?" Matsuda questioned, staring at him. "How on earth could I miss such a sweet little succulent crab? Quel dommage---" He actually wasn't sure what he was saying, so the French parts were said softly. "What a loss. Here we go in the sauce," Carter gasped as Matsuda threw him in who-knows-what, singing to himself. "Now some flour, I think. Just a dab---" Matsuda actually dumped Carter in the flour, making him choke (and wonder how Matsuda didn't realize he was alive yet). Matsuda just started shoving a mixture of stuffing in Carter's mouth. "Now I stuff you with bread. It don't hurt 'cause you're dead!" Matsuda grinned at him, walking to the stove. " And you're certainly lucky you are, 'cause it's gonna be hot in my big silver pot." Matsuda opened the lid and Carter felt himself go pale. "Toodle loo mon poisson, au revoir!"

That was when Carter snapped his claw on Matsuda's finger, making the chef drop him in surprise. As soon as he hit the floor, Matsuda looked around, confused.

"What happened?" He cried. "I lost a crab!!!" Panicking slightly, Matsuda grabbed a knife from the table and started crawling around the floor. He spotted Carter and threw the knife.

Carter squeaked and moved to the side. Matsuda's eyes widened slightly, before narrowing significantly. Carter paled again.

"Its on now." Matsuda yelled before throwing himself at Carter, only to crash head-first into the cabinet when Carter moved. Plates and glasses shook before falling to the floor, and Matsuda jumped up, grabbing more knives from the table.

"Ahhhhh!" Carter screamed, dodging the sudden barrage of knives. Terrified as Matsuda loomed over him, Carter pushed bowls full of stuff over, making Matsuda slip and fall to the floor with a crash, bringing down the pot on the stove with him and spilling water all over the floor.

"Get over here!" Matsuda yelled, slipping as he tried to get up again, falling backwards into a cabinet with spices and making the jars clatter and break on the floor, spilling their contents among the water. Carter ducked when another knife flew over his head.

LMMN

Crashing noises were heard from the kitchen, as well as Matsuda's yells. Mello and Near blinked, Matt frowned, and Halle groaned, covering her eyes.

"Damn that boy..." She growled under her breath before bowing. "Excuse me for just a moment, gentlemen." She said, turning and storming into the kitchen. As she opened the door, Carter saw an escape. He ducked through it, Matsuda close behind.

Well, Matsuda had been close behind...

...until he crashed into Halle's legs, making her fall on top of him.

Well, it had been nice living.

* * *

All right, chapter 11. XD evidentally, im a nice person.

Louis' and Sebastian's scene wasn't going to be in this (mainly because i remembered it after i finished the story) originally. but i guess, since people thought it would be funny, i managed to work it in.

The Munch, and i think it was Emo-Nerdy-Insane-Writer, here's the scene you guys wanted. I hope it lived up to the rest of the story, haha. XD


	12. Chapter 11: Problems Begin Anew

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"If you got your voice back, boy, then **_speak_**!!" Carter snapped. Nate sighed.

"I don't want to go against the original deal." He muttered. Carter jumped onto his chest, brandishing his claws at Nate and pulling his hair slightly.

"It's supposed to help you!" He yelled. "You've only got two days, maybe a day and a half, left by this point!"

"I don't---" Nate tried but Carter cut him off.

"Listen to me, child. If you don't speak, you'll turn to sea foam. Do you _want_ to turn into sea foam?" Nate blinked at him.

"Of course not!" Nate bit back. Carter shook his head.

"Then you've got to _speak_, boy." Nate sighed, buring his face in his hands as he thought over his dilemma.

LMMN

Lawliet swam forward, eyes taking in the surroundings curiously. He followed to voices he heard.

"---won't do it, but he has to!"

"Why won't he?" Lawliet turned a corner to find Kira slumped in a chair, hand over his eyes.

"I don't know!" He cried in frustration. "But he's only got a day left!"

"Who has a day left to do what?" Lawliet asked dryly. Kira jumped and turned to his left.

"Lawliet!" He said, bowing. "Favorite 'son' of Wammy, our king. What do you need?"

"What have you done to Nathaniel?" Kira bit his lip and glanced to his left again.

"Nathaniel?" Lawliet took a deep breath.

"Yes, Nathaniel. Why have you sent him to the surface?"

"He wanted to go." Kira said. He pulled out the contract, with Nathaniel's signature at the bottom's edge clearly, and Lawliet groaned slightly when he saw it.

"Break the contract." Kira's eyes widened.

"What?"

"You heard me." Lawliet said firmly. "Break it."

"I can't." Kira said, shaking his head. 'Not when I've already gone against it...' he thought, sighing heavily.

"You will." Lawliet snarled, darting forward and grabbing the paper. He pulled, trying to rip it, and the contract glowed.

"You see?" Kira asked, staring at the paper. "It's unbreakable. Completely unbreakable. Nate knew what he was getting himself into." Lawliet sighed and covered his eyes.

"Find a way to break it." He hissed. Turning to leave, Lawliet paused. "Misa, come with me. Now." Misa came out from behind Kira, her hands behind her back, her head bowed slightly. Glancing at Lawliet, she kissed Kira on the cheek.

"Misa-Misa will see when she can come by again." She whispered before following her older 'brother' away.

LMMN

Mello walked with Nate on the beach, Nate closer to the water than Mello himself. They both watched the sun go down, and Nate thought 'one more day...'

"Nathaniel!" Nate stopped, confused, and Mello stopped with him.

"Near...?" He asked softly. Nate ignored him, sitting himself in the water and trailing his fingers throuh it.

'Lawliet...' He mouthed back, blinking softly. Would Lawliet go so far as to---

"Nathaniel." A black-haired man suddenly appeared above the water, black eyes boring into Nate's own, his lower body hidden under the water. Mello jumped.

"What the---"

"Nathaniel, how much time do you have?" Mello opened his mouth to say that he was wasting his time, that Near couldn't talk, when a small voice interrupted him. It sounded musical, oddly familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

It took him a minute to realize it was coming from Near.

"I had a week." Near said softly. "That week ends tomorrow, at sundown."

"What will happen tomorrow?" The man asked. Nate looked over the sea.

"I may stay human." He whispered softly. "I may never return to the sea again. If I do...I may not come home again." Lawliet sighed, biting his thumb.

"Perhaps it is time to tell Wammy." He said firmly, leaving no room for interruptions or arguments. Nate nodded.

"Perhaps." Nate mumbled lightly.

"I'll inform him now." Lawliet said. He reached out and touched Nate's arm as he twirled his hair. "Maybe he will have an idea."

"Maybe." Nate repeated. Watching Lawliet disappear, Nate sighed.

"You can talk?" Mello asked, wide-eyed. Nate turned to him.

"I can now." Nate answered slowly. Mello leaned down, looking into his dark eyes curiously.

"Wanna clear some things up?" He asked softly, reaching out and stopping Nate's hand.

"Like what?" Nate breathed. Mello raised an eyebrow.

"Like..." He sighed quietly. "Who you are? Where you come from?"

"Those things would be helpful." Nate stated blankly. Mello nodded. "Very well. I---"

'Nathaniel!' It came, unbidden, to his mind. He saw Wammy, hands covering his face, Takada shaking her head, Misa looking away, Naomi's eyes filling with tears as she turned to Raye for comfort. Mikami, rubbing his temples, Gevanni closing his eyes in sorrow.

Lawliet's disappointed expression.

"NEAR!!!" Nate gasped when Mello pulled him out of the water, up into his arms. Panting lightly, he realized he was soaked, and Mello was staring at him in concern. "Are you all right?" Nate nodded breathlessly. Looking down, he gingerly moved out of the water.

"Maybe we should go back." Nate stated softly. Frowning, Mello nodded in agreement.

LMMN

Misa went through the enterance to Kira's home easily, frown on her face as she barreled into him, passing by Ryuk and Rem without a hello.

"We've gotta help Nate, Kira-kun!" She cried, worry taking the place of her frown. Kira moved her gently and started digging through his potions cabinet.

"I know, Misa, I know!" He snapped back, no venom behind it, only concern and slight panic. "I'm working on it as hard as I can!" He started throwing in things randomly.

"We have to hurry!" She cried. "If we don't, Wammy will be after you!" Kira froze, mid-toss, as her words registered.

"Wammy knows?" He said softly, lowering his arm. Misa nodded tearfully.

"Lawliet told him today." She replied. Kira sighed heavily. Throwing things into the vat faster, he shook his head.

"If that is so, we must hurry." He closed his eyes briefly. "We may be out of time already if Wammy is on his way."

* * *

All right, chapter 12. XD tadah.

Emo-Nerdy-Insane-Writer: i was originally going to, but when i thought it over, it would kinda defeat the purpose of what i had in mind...for later on...so i didn't add him in. Sorry, but i guess only Kira will be in this one.

FluffyDuck-01 was the one who asked about the Carter/Matsuda scene...sorrys.


	13. Chapter 12: Part of Your World Reprise

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

Mello stared at the boat nervously before getting on. Well, actually, Matt kinda just pushed him on.

"Don't worry, man." He said. "Just get on. Nothing will happen this time." Nate stood by the rail, staring at the water. Mello joined him.

"Do you have a family?" He asked him, to start a conversation. "Down there, somewhere?"

"A family, of sorts." Nate sighed, staring at the water for a few seconds longer. He glanced at Mello. "What?"

"It's just strange, hearing your voice." Mello said, shaking his head. "I can't seem to place where I've heard it before..."

LMMN

"I've got it!" Kira cried. "Misa, what time is it?" Misa shrugged.

"Misa-Misa thinks that, on land, it may be around midday." She answered. Kira nodded.

"Come on, let's go." He pulled her up, swimming as fast as he could.

"How will we find Nate?" She called up. Kira didn't slow down.

"Beyond Birthday will help us, I hope."

LMMN

"You must tell Nathaniel there is only one way to solve this." Wammy said firmly.

"He will not do it." Lawliet sighed, rubbing his temple with one hand and biting his thumb. "I know him, Wammy, he will not do it!"

"His life is at stake." Wammy reminded him gently. "He must, should he hope to live."

"All right, Wammy." Lawliet said. "I shall try to convince him."

LMMN

Nate watched as the sun started to sink, although there was still two hours before the sun set properly. A few minutes ago, he had spotted Beyond. Beyond didn't say much, just looked at him and disappeared.

Everyone was below deck. Mello had said something about feeling a bit tired, and went to his cabin. Matt and Roger followed after him.

"Nathaniel." He looked down, then flew backwards as something was hurled over the edge of the deck. Walking forward slowly, he picked it up gingerly. When he realized what it was, anger coursed through his body.

"What is this?" He hissed, going to the edge of the rail again and hovering it over. "What is the meaning of this, Lawliet?"

"It is Wammy's knife." Lawliet called up. "If you sink it into this Mello's chest, you will be able to come back with me."

"I cannot." Nate snapped lightly. Something wet fell slowly down his cheek, and Nate reached up to find, much to his surprise, tears falling from his eyes.

"It begins!" Lawliet cried. "Do it now!" Nate sighed and slowly went down to Mello's room.

LMMN

"More time, all Nate needs is more time." Kira told Misa as they raced to the surface.

"You can give that to him, right, Kira-kun?" Misa asked worriedly. Focused on getting to Nate as fast as possible, Kira merely nodded.

They ran right into Lawliet.

"Where's Nate?" Kira asked breathlessly. Lawliet turned to him, a glare on his face.

"That is none of your concern." He said smoothly. "I am already attempting to get my brother back, and your services are no longer necessary."

"How, Lawliet?" Misa asked curiously. Lawliet glanced at her.

"Wammy's knife." She gasped and Kira shook his head.

"Thats not going to work, Lawliet, you know that!!!" He sighed. "Let me see him, I can give him more time if---"

"And what will he have to pay for it?" Lawliet snarled suddenly, turning and grabbing Kira's throat. "His sight? Perhaps his freedom? You do not work for free, Kira, do not attempt to blind me."

Kira struggled against Lawliet while Misa went around her brother to the ship above them. Breaking the surface, she started calling for her younger brother.

LMMN

Nate vaguely heard someone calling for him, but ignored it in favor of shutting Mello's door.

"Mello..." He called softly. There was no answer, and he made his way to his bed. "Mello."

"Ngh... what?" Mello sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking at Nate. "Near?"

"My 'brother' gave me this." Nate said. Rubbing his eyes again, Mello looked at what Nate held out to him.

"What is it for?" Mello asked, taking the knife from Nate's hands to look it over more carefully.

"He says that if I put it through your heart, your chest, I can go home." Mello froze, his grip tightening on the knife before he dropped it onto the bed.

"All right." He said softly, running a hand through his hair. "All right...." Placing his head in his hands, Mello tried to think. "I...God, Near..."

"I will not do it, of course." Nate said firmly. Mello snapped to him instantly.

"What?" Mello frowned, confused. "But...you said---"

"I said a family of sorts." Nate corrected, guessing at what Mello was trying to say. "I was abandoned, at age six."

"But it's a family nonetheless, right?" Mello pressed. Nate shrugged.

"Wammy's is a family of orphaned or abandoned merchildren." He said carelessly. "There is no real blood bond among us."

"But you love each other, right?" The question threw Nate off, though he couldn't show it. Mello continued anyway. "You guys have the same bond Matt and I have."

"Mello is a prince." Nate protested, not understanding what Mello was getting at. Mello looked at him seriously.

"And before that, a poor Russian boy who watched his parents get shot in front of him." He said softly. Nate stared at him in shock. "Adopted by visiting royalty, both of whom died when I was fourteen." Nate bit his lip and sighed. Mello shook his head. "Roger took in Matt, then myself when he needed to."

"I can't do it." Nate sighed harshly.

"If anything, do it for your family." Nate opened his mouth but Mello cut across him. "Before you say anything, as long as you love one another."

"Mello doesn't understand." Nate sighed again, softer this time. Mello turned to face him properly.

"Then make me understand." He said softly. Nate looked away.

"What would I give to live where you are..." Nate sang softly, so softly Mello barely heard him. Mello leaned forward, eyes widening.

"What...?" Nate turned to face him again, starting over.

"What would I give to live where you are?" He repeated, touching Mello's face softly. "What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you, smiling at me?" As Mello stared at him, something clicked in his head.

"You...you actually..." Nate smiled softly.

"Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun. Just you and me, and I could be part of your world."

"You actually did save me..." Mello whispered, touching Nate's face in slight awe.

"I did." Mello smiled.

"Why?" He asked softly.

"I don't know when." Nate finished. "I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now. Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be part of your world."

"Near..."

"Nate." Nate corrected. Mello smiled. In the window, the sun began to set. Nate moved his eyes to look out the window. "Out of time." Mello frowned at him.

"What?"

"I'm out of time." Nate finished. The sun disappeared completely, and Nate began to shimmer softly.

"No!" Mello grabbed at Nate's hand, just for his own to go through it and the knife Nate had been holding fall to the floor with a loud THUNK! "What's going on?"

"It appears that I have moved too late." Nate smiled sadly. Mello grabbed his shimmering face, pulling it towards his own. Their lips touched briefly before Nate disappeared completely.

Shell-shocked, Mello dropped down onto his bed, staring at the place Nate had stood, as Matt ran into the room.

LMMN

Misa had dove under water to move to the other side when Kira called her.

"Its too late." He told her, eyes closing in pain. Lawliet let him go and Kira sank a few inches. "We lost him."

* * *

All right, chapter 13. XD ummm....yea.

all right....yea, i've got nothing for this...

i know someone was laughing that Matt had replaced Max in the movie...y'know, that didn't hit me until they pointed it out. XD haha, i'ma dork.

another thing: the story is not over yet. DON"T PANIC YET. XD


	14. Chapter 13: Mello Meets Misa

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"I say we execute him." Lawliet said firmly, his nail in his mouth. Kira stood a few feet behind him, his hands tied. Misa shook her head.

"No!" She darted forward and poked Lawliet in his chest. "Why would you execute Kira-kun?"

"Had he not sent Nathaniel up there," Lawliet said from around his thumb, "Nathaniel would be with us now. How can you defend him, Misa?"

"It's not Kira-kun's fault!" She insisted. "What about the prince Nate fell in love with? He's the real reason Nate wanted to go up in the first place. Kira-kun was just giving Nate what he wanted."

"Oh, yes." Lawliet shook his head. "There is a reason they think we are mere myths, Misa. And as you brought it up, if Wammy would permi---"

"You leave him out of this!" Misa growled suddenly, grabbing Lawliet's arm. "Just because Nate didn't want to do it, it's not his fault! It's yours!"

"How do you think that, Misa?" Came Wammy's tired voice. They both turned to him, Misa still in anger and Lawliet sighing impassivly.

"Kira-kun was going to give Nate more time." She said, blinking back tears. "Lawliet wouldn't let Kira-kun go near Nate."

"That's because Kira does not work for free." Lawliet snapped. Misa whirled on him.

"Kira-kun was _helping_ Nate, Lawliet!" She cried.

"There is a way to bring him back." Kira called out. They all turned their attention to him as he locked his red eyes on Misa's blue.

"How?" Kira sighed.

"We'll need the help of the people above us." Lawliet snorted.

"Why do we need their help?" He asked. Kira didn't look away from Misa.

"Because he'll want it enough to do something drastically life-changing." Lawliet shook his head.

"Let him go, so he can work on getting Nathaniel back." Glancing once at Wammy, Lawliet untied Kira's hands. Kira didn't even look at him.

"Come on, Misa-Misa." He said, grabbing the girl by the arm. "Let's get to work."

"Will he really do something that drastic for Nate?" Misa asked curiously. Kira sighed.

"Let's hope so, Misa." Kira muttered sadly. "Let's hope so."

LMMN

Mello stood on the shore by himself, throwing rocks into the sea. Deep in thought, he threw one and it disappeared. Scowling slightly, he threw another one. A pale hand reached up and pulled it underwater.

Without thinking, he stomped into the ocean, all the way up to his waist, without pulling anything off.

"HEY!" He yelled into the open water. "I'M NOT IN THE MOOD TO DEAL WITH YOU, WHO EVER YOU ARE! EITHER COME OUT OR BACK OFF!" When nothing happened, Mello shook his head and tilted it back to glance at the sky. "I'm loosing it..." He muttered softly. A small splash got his attention.

A blonde girl jumped on him suddenly, pulling herself up by his shoulders. Automatically, his hands went to her waist to steady her a little better. When she was eye-level, she looked him over curiously.

"Ohhhh..." She said softly. "_You're_ Mihael." Out of nowhere, she grinned. "You're so much cuter up close, you know?"

"Uh, what?" Mello blinked in shock. "I'm Mello." She shrugged.

"Mello, Mihael...same difference." She replied. As she shrugged again, Mello noticed something that made him turn slightly red.

"Where's your shirt?" Frowning, she looked down at the dark, torn tank top that barely covered her chest in confusion. Behind her, something black darted towards her underwater. Instinctively, Mello started moving back.

"...don't see anything wrong with it, so you definately shouldn't..." She paused, looking down when she realized they were moving. "Mihael?"

"There is something in the water behind you." Mello muttered, still staring at it. She blinked, then burst out laughing.

"Silly Mihael!" She giggled. "It's just a tail!" As if to prove her point, the dark tail behind her flipped above-surface for a few seconds before dropping back underwater.

Mello instantly dropped her into the water.

Not expecting to fall, she squealed in surprise just before she went under. Shaking her head underwater, she darted the few feet it was to the shore and popped up in shallower water, leaving her tail under.

"That wasn't very nice, Mihael." She called out. "You're not supposed to drop people like that in the water, especially if they aren't ready for it. That's just rudeness."

"You've got a tail!" Mello shouted back, turning to her. "You're a **_mermaid_**, for crying out loud!"

"That's right!" She flashed a 'victory' sign at him. "A 'daughter' of the great sea king."

"Great sea king?" Mello walked towards her, curiosity in his eyes. "You guys are real..."

"Of course we are!" She crossed her arms. "If you know us, then how come you don't believe in us?"

"I believe in you guys!" Mello protested, coming to sit next to her. "It's Matt and Roger that don't believe in merpeople. I believe, though, Kira." She blinked in confusion before looking around.

"Ehhhh? Kira-kun?" She crossed her arms again. "Kira-kun, I thought we agreed! Why are you here? Kira-kun?"

"Aren't you Kira?" Mello asked, touching her arm. She turned and glared at him.

"No way!" She cried. Mello took a deep breath.

"Then who are you?" He asked.

"Misa-Misa!" She shook her head. "Do you have names for all of us?" Mello raised an eyebrow.

"Yea?" Mello said unsurely.

"Tell me them, now." Misa insisted. Mello complied hesitantly.

"There's King Watari, then Ryuzaki and Kiyomi, Teru and Stephen, and finally, Near and Kira." Misa stared in shock before shaking her head.

"You stupid humans!" She yelled, making Mello jump. "How can you guys get something as simple as a name wrong?" Muttering angrily, she crossed her arms again and looked over the water. Mello frowned at her.

A few seconds later, she seemed to remember why she was there in the first place and turned to Mello again.

"Ne, ne, you knew Misa-Misa's 'brother', right? Nathaniel?" Mello gave her a blank look and Misa bit her lip. "Nathan?" She tried. Another blank look. "Nate?" Mello shook his head and Misa groaned in frustration, looking over the water again. Mello did as well, the both of them silent. "OH!" Mello turned only to fall backwards, she had gotten so close. Misa didn't notice, just beamed at him. "Near!"

"Ah." Mello looked away before something hit him. "Wait, Near's your brother?"

"Yep!" Misa cheered. "The youngest of Wammy's 'children'!"

"Near looks nothing like you, though." Misa stared at Mello for a few seconds. Mello stared back, confused.

"Misa-Misa is not Nate's real sister, Mihael." She said firmly, disbelief lacing her words. "And his name isn't Near, stop calling him that. It's Nathaniel."

"Nathaniel?" Mello repeated.

"Yes, or Nate for short." Misa smiled. Mello looked back at the water.

"Nate..." He said softly. "Nate...well, I guess that explained his obsession with water."

* * *

All right, chapter 14. XD

There is a point to this chapter, it's just too long to put. Haha, bear with me a few.

Emo-Nerdy-Insane-Writer: i'm glad you like my story better than the Disney version. haha, and Nate's not dead. he's sea foam!


	15. Chapter 14: The Deal

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"Nate made a deal with Kira-kun." Misa said softly. Mello looked at her. "He... Nate was a strange merchild." She let out a soft laugh. "Actually, we're Wammy children. We're all strange, in some way. But Nate... Nate was a whole new level of strange. He was...well, the right word would be obsessed, I suppose. He loved your world, Mihael, and made a deal with Kira-kun." Misa sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have encouraged him so much. Misa never thought that it wouldn't work..."

"That what wouldn't work?" Mello asked curiously. Misa shook her head, and she was suddenly cheerful again.

"Nothing, Mihael, nothing. Misa-Misa actually has something to ask you." Mihael was taken back by her mood changes, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you need, Misa?" Misa looked over the water again.

"Nate is sea foam." She told him softly. "Part of his deal with Kira-kun, see?" Misa sighed and reached into the water, letting her fingers touch the top of the water and skim its surface. Mello watched her, realizing that the happiness she had shown him was forced---he saw how much pain she was in. "Misa-Misa is partly to blame for that." She closed her eyes, sighing. "Nate..."

* * *

Matt stood by the window, looking at the sun set over the sea. A few days ago, he had ran into Mello's room, hearing a loud noise, and had seen the blonde staring, shocked, hand outstretched slightly.

There had been a knife on the floor, and Matt assumed the worst.

He had turned, ready to run, when Mello sat on the bed. Unsure, Matt walked over to him and touched his shoulder lightly. Mello didn't even look at him.

"Near..." He muttered, blinking. Tensing instantly, Matt looked around the room to find the pale boy, but he was no where to be found. Worry overcoming his system, he told Mello to stay put while he tried to find Near.

He couldn't find him anywhere.

Matt shook his head, closing his eyes against the pain that he felt for the blonde that was his best friend.

"Check out the loner over here." Matt turned to find two boys behind him, both smirking at him. His emerald eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do you want now?" He snapped tiredly, looking out at the water again. Deep down, he hoped that Near was all right. As dense as he could be sometimes, he knew what the look on Mello's face meant when he was with Near.

"Where's Mello-sama?" One asked. Matt shrugged, looking away. He thought about Near for a few seconds.

"Please be all right, Near." He whispered, not realizing Halle was coming towards him, making the two boys scatter. "As weird as it sounds, cause you weren't here that long, I don't think Mello will be able to function without you if you don't come back soon."

"Matt!" Matt jumped and turned to face Halle, who was dragging Matsuda. Matt looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I accidentally cut myself a little." Matsuda grinned sheepishly.

"Is it bad?" Matt asked. Matsuda bit his lip.

"A little..." He murmured. Matt winced lightly

"How bad?" Matsuda went to lift his hand, but Halle tugged his ear.

"Don't show him, idiot." She snapped. "Matt," Halle turned to him, a worried look on her face. "Roger wants Mello. Can you find him?"

"Yea." Matt gestured out the window. "Mels is on the beach. I'll get him now."

* * *

Mello waited patiently for Misa to ask her question.

"Mihael, do you love Nate?" Mello jumped at the question and looked at her with wide eyes. She looked back pleadingly. "Do you?"

"I...uh, I..."

"Tell Misa-Misa!" She whined. "It only works if you love him. Do you?" Mello turned about seven shades of red.

"I wanted to tell Near first..."

"Nate!" She snapped tiredly. "His name is Nate. Answer, Mihael."

"Yes." He sighed, pulling his legs up and placing his arms, then his head on them. "I love him." Misa's hand on his shoulder made him glance at her. Tears were pooling in her eyes.

"Will you bring him back?" She whispered tearfully. His eyes widened at her question. "You say you love him, Mihael. Will you bring him back?"

"There...what?" Mello frowned at her in confusion, and tears began to fall down her face slowly.

"If there was a way to bring back Nate, would you do it?" She asked.

"I..."

* * *

Matt heard talking, and he sighed. He knew Mello was on the beach, he just couldn't find him anywhere! No one had seen Mello, and Matt was ready to give up hope. Deciding to at least try a couple more people, Matt climbed over the rocks that hid where they found Near.

"Hey, have---" Matt cut himself off when his eyes landed on two blondes---one of them being Mello. He blinked, then looked at the other.

Blushing furiously at her lack of proper dress, Matt closed his eyes briefly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Looking up again, he noted that she was frozen, tears making trails down her face, big blue eyes widened in sorrow and something that looked like fear---

---the black attatched to her legs, which evidentally, _weren't_ legs as she dove under the water a few seconds later, a panicked look on her face. She never resurfaced, and Matt stared out to sea, eyes wide.

"What, Matt?" Mello asked tiredly, head in his hands. Matt blinked.

"Uh..." For a moment, he couldn't remember his message. Then he shook his head, and things fell into place. "Uh, Roger wants to...uh, he wants you for something. I dunno what." He shook his head again, then faintly asked, "Was that a mermaid, Mels?"

* * *

"What did he say?" Kira asked Misa anxiously. Misa shook her head.

"He saw me!!" She wailed. Kira looked genuinely confused, and grabbed her hands. Misa bured her face in Kira's chest. "He snuck up behind us and saw me!"

"Misa, Misa, calm down!" Kira cried. "What happened, Misa?"

"He wasn't Mihael!" She took deep breaths. "His name...his name said 'Mail Jeevas'. He wasn't Mihael!" Misa shook her head. "Who's Mail, Kira? I don't remember him."

* * *

All right, chapter 15. XD

And the point comes up!!! XD everyone probably knows what Mello is going to say. XD

....or do they? hehehe...


	16. Chapter 15: Mello's Final Answer

I really gotta do this now, because I am screwing up a classic story here.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Little Mermaid_, Disney version or original, or Death Note. I'm kinda just screwing with it here.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Roger asked calmly, pressing his fingers together at the tips as he stared at Mello over them. Mello flushed lightly.

"I don't know, but if I can help..." Mello trailed off. Matt leaned onto his best friend.

"I'm with Mels on this." He said. "I back him up completely." Roger glared at Matt as Mello gave him a grateful smile.

"I don't care what you two think of this." Roger said, standing up. "There is no way that anything is changing."

"But if I can help---" Mello tried, but Roger cut across him, slamming his hands down on the table, making Mello and Matt jump.

"No, I said!" He snapped. "We cannot have this happening. For all we know, this whole thing is a lie!"

"Roger, Near---" Roger cut across Matt as well.

"We will find Near, but we aren't that desperate."

"Mello is!" Matt argued. Roger sat down again, shuffling the papers on his desk.

"I said no." He looked at them both. "And that's final."

* * *

Misa swam nervously into shallow water, biting her lip. When she broke the surface, two males were on the beach---a red-head with the name 'Mail Jeevas' over his head and the blonde's reading 'Mihael Keehl'. The one she was looking for. She lingered in the water nervously.

"It's all right, Misa." Mihael reassured. "Matt's not gonna do anything to you." Frowning slightly, she went forward as Mihael crouched down.

"What's going on, Mihael?" Misa asked softly. "Can you do something?" Mihael sighed heavily.

"Misa..." He whispered brokenly. Misa's eyes widened when he leaned forward.

"What is Mi---" She froze as he whispered something in her ear. Suddenly, her breathing sped up. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Misa." Mihael shook his head. Tears welled up in Misa's eyes.

"But...but Mihael said---!" She put her hands over her mouth. Tears starting rolling down her face. Mihael looked around, before leaning forward again. She looked at him with panic in her eyes.

"Go on, Misa." He whispered after a few seconds, pushing her back into deeper water.

* * *

"How did it go?" Kira asked worriedly. Misa took one look at him and wailed.

"They can't do it!" She cried, burying her face in her hands. Sighing heavily, Kira wrapped her in his arms.

"We'll figure out a way." He soothed her. "Even if they had agreed right away, it would've taken a year to get enough power stored up to bring Nate back."

* * *

"Was that wise, Mello?" Matt asked, watching his friend stare at the water blankly.

"It was." He said softly, stepping back. "It was the smartest thing to do, in a case like this."

"If what she said was true, then that was our only chance to get Near back." Matt protested. "And you threw it away."

"I know." Mello said softly. "Come on, Roger is going to be looking for us." Matt watched Mello turn and walk back.

"Know what you're doing, Mello." He said softly. "Please." Glancing back once more at the water, Matt turned and followed Mello.

* * *

All right, chapter 16. XD

So the story draws to a close! this is my shortest chapter. shocking. XD well, i don't think anyone was expecting this ending. Mello said no! *le gasp!*

thanks to everyone who favorited, story alerted, or reviewed this story. XD and thank you for sticking with me to the bitter end of "Along the Sea Floor."


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